Regime Quest

Turn 19
Results from Previous round votes:

1 Vote plan CCC

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Winning Plan:

Morning: Debrief Information Gathering Mission

Afternoon: Train the warband: In Ultra Combat. Smasher did a great job with them yesterday… but let's magnify her efforts.

Owner: Acquire Funds: Offer a 50c donation to a charitable organisation that specialises in helping kidnap victims per purchase. This both appeals to the charitable instincts of her imaginary clientele directly, and enhances her company's moral image; and thus, presumably, her overall income.

Go through with the donation, of course. The last thing you want is some imaginary journalist finding trouble.

This is also the start of building up towards creating – and financing – a private security contractor which specialises in rescuing kidnap victims, garnering income from bounties placed on the kidnappers and donations from grateful clients (which, in this world, will allow us fast access to some pretty neat guns and other equipment).

Builder: Memorise patterns: Bulletproof vests. Extra protection for the Warband.

Smasher (morning): Recruit Ultras for the warband, from the Yard. The warband could use a few more warm bodies, a better to bring them in early, so there's more time to train them.Day 19 Log :

5 AP at start of day (4 at end of last day +1 for half night's sleep)

-0 for debrief Resistance on gather info mission (5 AP)

Roll 6, +1 for success (6 AP)

-1 for Train the Warband (5 AP)

Roll 5, +1 for success (6 AP)

Builder: Memorize Vest pattern

Roll 6, success

Owner: Put out rewards

Roll 7, success (ultimately, only initiated now)

Builder: Smasher, Recruit Yard Ultras to Warband

Roll 10, Crit Success

End of day, 6 AP

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Debrief Info Gathering Mission:

I used my finger to carefully open slide open the ties holding the satchel together, noting the rough 'Skiner' finger painted on the side.

Personally, I figured she probably knew how to spell her name, but presumably the Resistance knew better than I did.

"Bitch came through," I remarked quietly to myself, really to Snitcher, "I guess I don't need to pay her a visit after all."

The text inside, once I'd squinted my way through some atrocious handwriting and mentally corrected any obvious spelling mistakes, read as follows:

"Merlin is the name that the dumb Ultras who can't hack it in the Regime call Vanisher.

It takes her about ten seconds of looking at someone or something to make them go invisible or quiet or not touch. They stay that way till she fixes them.

The gift is less good than it first seems because it works both ways. If you can't get seen you can't see. If you can't get heard you can't hear. The people that can't get touched can't get touched.

There are a group of invisible guys in Ar Harbor. They are pussies who hide from getting seen, but they have Knight weapons that they stole, so they can chop real good. There are usually about ten of them (or maybe more haha, but at least as many as I have fingers), but she could make more of them real quick when she wants to.

They are trained to follow around the 'ghost knights' who can't get touched but do a lot of talking. The invisible cutters and the guys you can see but not touch make their enemies confused. There are equal numbers of both of them, they work in pairs.

Her dagger name is Terry, she lives in the house with the yellow paint on the roof in the middle of the city. She has a girlfriend and she takes care of two kids like a total pussy. She can use her gift on herself but she doesn't do it much, and she needs a mirror from what I heard.

King Arthur trusts her and they are part of the same gang of losers who run things in this tiny city. She is also a big part of their deal with the pussies in the Union, who send people into town to get made invisible sometimes and give them Union guns and stuff in return. Getting help from other people is how you know how weak they are, cuz they need help from other people.

I did what you said and I'm not doing any more unless you say to."

I put that down, grimacing. Vanisher was going to be a problem in the big battle. I'd never tried to fight invisible people, but it seemed trivially obvious that they would punch well above their weight class, and also mess with the optics of Her voyeurism. I'd probably saved my own life by getting this information ahead of time, if I could figure out a way to put it to use.

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Train Warband:

"Where the fuck did everyone come from?" I asked.

"The Yard," supplied Jumper, sporting a shiny black eye and an unflattering new haircut.

I scowled to myself at that response, because that wasn't really what I'd been asking. But it was presumably technically correct, so discipline would have felt a bit petty.

"Jumper," I told her.

"Warlord?" she asked.

"How many of these Ultras are new, today, in our circle? How many did Smasher collect this morning?"

"Oh," she said, gaze wandering across the packed barracks common room. "About half of them?"

I nodded, carefully.

I had done my thing in the yard, back when we were getting started. I was a standout of the same area, a living inspiration to them. I'd given a speech. I was known, or at least rumored to be able to give people new Ultra gifts! I was the damn Warlord.

I'd gotten 17.

Later events had bumped us up to 25, but still, I'd been expecting Smasher, a stupid woman with half of my advantages, to maybe pull in another 12.

Instead she'd brought, if my count was correct, another 21, nearly doubling our number.

"What…" I asked, "What appeal did she make? Did she maybe just pick you all up and fling you here?"

"She said there was as much free beer as we wanted and some other stuff that nobody paid any mind to. Then she killed a girl who mouthed off."

Of course she did.

I stared to run the group through their drills, a foul taste in my mouth.

I was reasonably sure I could have said the same things, done the same things, and I wouldn't have gotten remotely comparable results from them. It was…hmm it was vexing.

I'd thought I'd gotten it all out of my system, bowed before Her and all that. For it to grate on me that a stupid person was doing better than me felt curiously old fashioned, something that decades of Her reign should have beaten out of me.

It was something like, I did a flawless impression of a Regime brute, but it was still an impression. They could tell, on some level, that I was acting. Smasher didn't take a second to ponder, didn't have to think before she acted. It gave her an unforgeable advantage.

In the end I got over it. I ran the group through the hand to hand drills that I'd been planning, trained them and worked them through the fundamentals of Ultra combat. Maxing strength to toughness, avoiding death touches, when to use weapons vs. bare hands, all that. It was a very productive session.

I put my littleness aside, reminded myself that Smasher was inside the tent, pissing out. Whining that she was too good at her work would do nothing for me, and was pitiful besides.

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Debrief Posse:

"Did you hear about how well Smasher did?" asked Owner, blithely cheerful.

I resisted the urge to grit my teeth, reminded myself that I was better than that, smarter than the brutal thug whose loyalty I'd gained and, you know, not jealous at all at her easy rapport with my followers.

"Yeah," I said, flawlessly concealing my difficulties. "It's great."

Owner and Builder exchanged a look, but it definitely wasn't because they noticed my bad mood.

"Anyway," I said, subtly changing the subject, "How did things go for you, Owner?"

She looked a little grim.

"I spent the money, things should be starting on it, but I haven't really felt the results yet. I'm starting to worry that my gift may just not be fast enough on stuff like this. Maybe there are a lot of rules or stuff in the imaginary world."

"Don't worry, I'm sure it'll come through," said Builder. "You are putting in the work now so that you can sit back and rake it in later."

"Let's hope," I said. "This should ultimately come through for us in a big way, let us start bringing in things that there is no easy way to get permits to sell. The good stuff. Weapons, body armor, the works."

They nodded along easily, unburdened by understanding. They had no real concept of the world that Owner simulated, relying utterly on my old memories. I hoped that I hadn't steered them wrong.

"And the body armor?" I asked Builder. "You used that patch I let you borrow?"

"Yeah," she said. "I made, well, I made that material, and I put some holes in it. See?"

She held up what was basically a bulletproof poncho.

I could see what had happened. She hadn't had the straps, hadn't had a real idea of how they should be, just the swatch of fabric I'd given her. So she'd just put 3 holes in them and called it done.

"These are great," I said. "We might be able to make them even better, but these should work for now."

I wasn't sure if it was worth it to have her devote more time to this, get her to make helmets or hoods, that sort of thing. I'd decide that later.

"It's really going to happen," breathed Owner, apropos of nothing. "We're really doing this."

"We'll try, at any rate," I cautioned her. "Remember, King Arthur beat the last two Warlords. This isn't going to be easy."

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The Plan:

· On the 30th day we set out, the Warband and my Posse traveling in the trucks that Builder creates. We drive to within a few miles of Ar Harbor, then take up a position.

· We attack the following day, a frontal assault led by Smasher and myself. Our Ultras against their forces (both their Round Table leadership and the various minions they have) in a pitched battle in broad daylight, with Her watching through my form using Snitcher's gift.

· Ideally they make their stand outside of the restored downtown that I am supposed to preserve in the strike. If not we go in after them, wreck the place up in the fighting, and have Builder restore things afterwards.

Plan Assessment:

· Lancelot should lose to Smasher and myself, if not some of the more energetic Warband members. She is a benefit to me, someone to use for the highlight reel, make sure Prevailer is entertained.

· King Arthur is necessary so that they have enough soldiers to give us a good fight. She is also the 'final boss', and will hopefully command from their Union tank. Another excellent drama point for Her.

· Merlin, if uncountered, will cause the enemy to win the battle. I must come up with a plan to deal with her.

· Guinevere will be another very large problem, though not quite so big as Merlin. I believe Smasher can defeat her, but there are a lot of variables in that plan. Ideally I need to come up with a way to handle her other than hoping she dies in the fighting.

· In general my Yard Ultras should be man for man superior to King Arthur's gifted troops and whatever Ultars their side can scrounge up. I am confident in the outcome of the Ultra scrum provided no other factors infringe upon it.

· As far as hardware goes, our side has bolt action rifles with a few training sessions, their side may well have Union guns with months of training. They will have superior guns if nothing is done, which may help them to suppress our force advantage. Builder's efforts have gone a long way towards mitigating this, but the gap lingers.

· I need an answer from Her on what it entails to take the place intact. I'm putting a lot of hope on it being ok to have Builder fix damage afterwards. If that isn't acceptable, then I need to start planning right now for how to avoid damaging this place while I have an Ultra war there.

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Day 21:

Days remaining: 10

AP available: (6 at end of day + 1 for 6 hours sleep) = 7/10

Non AP Action: Swap in a new plan. You write in a new plan, I'll give you Mia's assessment of it. If you don't do this then the existing one will be executed. The plan that is in force when its execution date arrives will be used for the actual battle, though there may be mid battle votes that could alter it in process.

Prestige: 3

Timeslots available: 2, morning and afternoon

Builder Timeslot Available: afternoon

Owner Timeslot Available: afternoon

Smasher : Timeslot Available: morning

Posse: 3 or 3 out of 3 slots filled

Force size: 46

Condition: Healthy

(Ultra format: Role, Ultra Strength/Speed/Toughness, other gift description)

Posse:

Builder — 0/0/0, a woman who can alter objects for miles around into other things, blessed with a 'Bulletproof' blend

Owner – housemate, 0/0/1 operates an imaginary firm, with real effects on the world,

Smasher — 3/0/1, a woman who is billed as the strongest Ultra fighter of all time

Ultra Allies:

Maker- Friend, and protégé of Snitcher, 0/0/1, can summon the spirit of things

Clawer – Ultra fighter 2/0/1, melee combatant, deadly hooks for hands

Stopper – partner of Clawer, 0/0/0, steals form's velocity by looking at them

Sticker – Did dentistry for her brother, 0/0/2, Creates slime, can choose its stickiness

Grower – 0/*0/1, an outside Ultra I sponsored into the Lair, has a bullet blend from me, can rapidly increase the size and mass of objects

Joker — 0/2/0, a woman who can change what other people/herself look like

Replayer — 1/2/0, she can 'step back in time' to undo damage that she takes

Ultra Enemies:

Masher- Enemy, and fellow protégé of Subtracter, 3*/0/3*, trades off strength and durability as she moves or stays still

Picker – First Fist protégé, 0/1/0, 'selects the outcome of things'

Ultra Acquaintances:

Tracker – Running buddy, 1/0/1, Creates tracks, and can move things on them

Shower – Adder's protégé, 1*/0/1*, gains strength and durability from witnesses

Echoer – Singer I am a fan of, 1/1/1, can duplicate any action that she sees

Bubbler – Operates Ultra clinic 0/0/?, traps things in bubbles that heal and move them

Sucker — Ultra entertainer, ?/?/?, pulls objects/people towards her at incredible rate

Gunner — 0/0/1, she shoots tracking Ultra Blasts at roughly Ultra Strength One

Chiller — 1/0/1, can freeze any object she touches, leaving them brittle and easily broken

Cutter — 1/1/1, she is a brutal front line combatant

Swimmer — 1/0/1, she can 'swim' through solid surfaces

Burner — 0/0/1, she can summon Ultra fire from anywhere that she can see

Maxxer — 0/0/0, she can augment the gifts of other Ultras, pushing their gifts

Puncher — 1/0/1, her strength and speed both go up when she repeats her movements

Faction Rankings:

Regime 7

KEM 8

Pantheon 2

Union 4

Resistance 9

Prevailer 3

Knights 3

Actions:

[ ] Contact Knights (Timeslot cost: 1, AP cost 2, returns 1 on success)

Motive: My recent actions have opened up the possibility of collaboration with the Knights of Purity. Their assistance could be valuable, insofar as they don't count towards the Regime's ridiculous rule against outnumbering our enemies, and I might be able to acquire some of their blessed equipment if I play my cards right.

Concerns: I don't know if I really want to be associating with such a group. KEM wouldn't mind, but the Resistance would pull away from me, and I might end up coming into contact with Second Fist or their sponsored Ultras. It is likely that anything they might want from me would be rather evil.


[ ] Seek Transportation

-[ ] Scavenge (Timeslot cost: 2; AP cost 4, refunds 3 on success)

Motive: My current transportation sufficed for me in my troubleshooter role, but I will likely require a larger vehicle, or several vehicles, in order to bring everyone to Ar Harbor. I can seek to find something in the suburbs and surrounding towns.

Concerns: Leaving Shington could be dangerous, and I am far from guaranteed to find a bus or truck suitable to my needs, as the area has already been heavily scavenged.

-[ ] Trade with existing owners (Timeslot cost: 1; AP cost 2, refunds 1 on success)

Motive: As above, but instead of fixing up ruined vehicles I'll negotiate to get them from their current owners.

Concerns: Snitcher may disapprove of a warlord being civil

-[ ] Seize by force (Timeslot cost: 2; AP cost 4, refunds 3 on success)

Motive: As above, but instead of asking my contacts for vehicles I'll just take what I want. My role as warlord and my Tally should minimize resistance

Concerns: People like their vehicles, and won't like the one who takes them. I will make enemies.

-[ ] Seek Transportation [Adder + Company] (Timeslot cost: 1; AP cost 2, refunds 1 on success)

Motive: As above, but Adder can use his gift to make something for my purposes, and the Company can duplicate it and make it permanent.

Concerns: Adder and I are not close, he may decline to aid me, owing to his rivalry with my sponsor, Subtracter.


[ ] Seek Target Information

-[ ] Company (Timeslot cost: 1; AP cost 2, refunds 1 on success)

Motive: The Company logs every Ultra they create. Their Ar Harbor records would be useful information

Concerns: Ultras migrate and conceal their gifts, this information would be incomplete

-[ ] Subtracter (Timeslot cost: 1; AP cost 3, refunds 1 on success)

Motive: Subtracter is the military leader of the Regime, she will have information on this target

Concerns: Subtracter is stupid and violent, I don't like to be around her

-[ ] Survivors (Timeslot cost:1; AP cost 2, refunds 1 on success)

Motive: There have been 2 other attempts at Ar Harbor. I can seek out and question survivors in the outer city.

Concerns: I may be unable to find any survivors, and I may be misled by liars.


[ ] Seek Posse Members

-[ ] wander & gossip, (Timeslot cost: 1; AP cost 1, refunds 1 on success)

Motive: There are dozens of powerful Ultras in the Lair. I know only the barest fraction of them. I can learn the basics on 1-6 of them in a few hours of socializing and gossiping, opening up in depth investigation options on them and adding them to my list of acquaintances.

Concerns: None

-[ ] At Ultra Fights, (Timeslot cost: 1; AP cost 1, refunds 1 on success)

Constraint: Only available in the afternoon or night on days divisible by 4 (day 4, 8, etc)

Motive: There are dozens of powerful Ultras in the Lair. I know only the barest fraction of them. I can learn the basics on 3-12 of them in a few hours of socializing and gossiping at this kind of event.

Concerns: Ultras associated with the Fights are more likely than most to be melee combatants.


[ ] Seek Warband Members

-[ ] At the Yard, (Timeslot cost: 1; AP cost 2, refunds 1 on success)

Motive: The Lair is surrounded by hundreds of Regime Ultras. The strongest come to the Yard to show their power and appeal to those like me, who would give them purpose. I should be able to gather between 5 and 20 Ultras of such caliber.

Concerns: I will need to provide housing and direction to these Ultras, or risk them wandering off. I can expect to spend at least an action a day on them, and training them might well eat up more. Ideally a Posse member will be tasked with this.

-[ ] [Gang name] From a Gang, (Timeslot cost: 2; AP cost 5, refunds 3 on success)

Motive: The Ultras that surround Shington are organized into Gangs dozens strong. If I can recruit such a force I might have my whole Warband right there.

Concerns: These Ultras likely already have patrons in the Lair, who I would need to negotiate with. Their leader would also likely want a place in my Posse, and she would be the primary locus of their loyalty until I'd had time to win them over.


[ ] Investigate Acquaintance:

-[ ] [Name], (Timeslot cost: 1; AP cost 2, refunds 1 on success, 2 if we become allies)

Motive: I can spend some serious one on one time with an Ultra I've chosen, evaluating the capability of their gift, the alignment of their values with mine, and their basic ccompetence. If all checks out, I might move them into my Ultra Allies column.

Concerns: None


[ ] Invite Ally into Posse:

-[ ] [Name], (Timeslot cost: 1; AP cost 3, refunds 3 on success)

Motive: If I want to bring an ally into my posse, get them to take actions on my behalf and rise or fall with me, this is the way to do it. I will only take this action on those I've already made allies, and once this has been taken it is difficult to undo.

Concerns: Posse members are most of the way into my circle of trust, and will operate on my behalf, representing me to stranger. A mistake here would be dangerous and damaging. I should be careful before taking this step, potentially investigating a prospect several times.


[ ] Seek Information on Snitcher's patterns

-[ ] Passive listening (Timeslot cost: 1; AP cost 1, refunds 1 on success)

Motive: Snitcher can ride my senses at any moment, and bring Her along. If I am ever to contact my KEM allies, my resistance allies, or show any kindness or weakness whatsoever, I need to understand when this is likely to take place. Gossip can hint at this, particularly if I carefully steer conversations. This action would be mostly undetectable, even if he was riding me when I took it.

Concerns: None

-[ ] Active interrogation of Snitches (Timeslot cost: 1; AP cost 3, refunds 2 on success)

Motive: As above, but rather than listen for random gossip I will seek out other linked individuals and directly ask them how often he rides their senses, and what actions he has reacted to in the past.

Concerns: More likely Snitcher notices this, unknown consequences of that.

-[ ] Confront Snitcher Directly (Timeslot cost:1; AP cost 4, refunds 3 on success)

Motive: As above, but take the simplest possible route. Go to Snitcher and ask him for the deal.

Concerns: I am sponsored by Subtracter, not Snitcher, he may not wish to aid me. He may demand favors or other services in exchange for the information.


[ ] Seek Information on Regime military operations

-[ ] Ask Subtracter (Timeslot cost: 1; AP cost 3, refunds 1 on success)

Motive: My life depends on doing this right. I need to get a basic understanding of what She is expecting from my attack on Ar Harbor. Do I need to seize the Company Facility? Kill all the enemies? Are there any constraints on how I go about it? Subtracter is the leader of the Regime's military, and my sponsor, she will know these answers.

Concerns: Subtracter is stupid and brutal, and she killed my neighbors, I hate spending time with her.

-[ ] Ask Around (Timeslot cost: 1; AP cost 2, refunds 1 on success)

Motive: As above, but ask survivors of previous missions instead of my evil boss.

Concerns: My predecessors may not have told them everything, their views of their missions may omit certain command level details that I need to worry about.


[ ] Relax and Recuperate

-[ ] By visiting Blisser (Timeslot cost: X (slots spent until AP reaches max), AP cost 0, returns 3 per time period. DANGER, this action may cause addiction)

-[ ]By lounging around, (Timeslot cost: 1, AP cost 0, refunds 1 on success)

Motive: I could do with some rest.

Concerns: None

-[ ]By patronizing entertainment areas (Timeslot cost: 1, AP cost 1, refunds 3 on success)

Motive: I could do with some rest, and I might learn some things by socializing

Concerns: None

-[ ]By using my gift to repair the city (Timeslot cost: 1, AP cost 2, refunds 5 on success)

Motive: It needs to be done.

Concerns: This is not becoming behavior of a warlord, Snitcher may take notice, and people may talk

-[ ]By using my gift to heal people (Timeslot cost: 1, AP cost 1, refunds 5 on success)

Motive: This is why I have my gift.

Concerns: This is not becoming behavior of a warlord, Snitcher may take notice, and people may talk


[ ] Organize Armory [Timeslot cost: 1, AP cost 2, returns 2 on success)

Motive: I carry, in my backpack and on my person, various items to blend with if the need arises. I am overdue to look through my setup and take an inventory, once that is done I could seek out new objects if I am missing anything useful.


Concerns: None


[ ] Action: Direct the Warband (Timeslot cost 0, AP cost 1, returns 1 if successful)

Motive: If I need to set my warband in motion, give them a project or whatever, it is as simple as telling them to jump. My will is their command.

-[ ] Let [Posse Member] Supervise, takes up the Posse Member's action, modifies success chance based on which Posse member it is, and which action


[ ] Action: Train the Warband (Timeslot cost 0, AP cost 1, returns 1 if successful) [Requires a timeslot from the teacher, who should probably be an Ultra combatant]

Motive: Yard Ultras are fierce, but undisciplined. They are warriors, not soldiers. I can get better outcomes if I teach them some basics.

-[ ] In Ultra Combat (Gives bonuses on their battle rolls)

-[ ] In anti firearm maneuvers (Makes them suffer less casualties under fire)

-[ ] In obedience (makes them more likely to obey my orders)


[ ] Action: Other (Timeslot cost: x, returns x if successful)


KEM Actions:

[ ] Assign Assassination mission [Timeslot cost 1, AP cost 3, returns 1 on success, can only be done in the morning, uncertain Snitcher risk]


Description: KEM are the only humans who fight back on a consistent, day to day basis. We've come up together, they and I, and pointing them at my foes is only common sense. If I give them a target, then I trust them to make a good faith effort to put that Ultra down. Their odds of success, of course, vary wildly depending on how much info I can provide, and the gifts of the Ultra in question.


Resistance Actions:

[ ] Assign Information Gathering Mission [Timeslot cost 1, AP cost 2, returns 1 on success, can only be done in the morning, uncertain Snitcher risk]

Description: The humans are the ocean in which the Ultras swim, the saying goes. The Resistance's capacity to gather information about Ultras is unsurpassed. If I give them a target, then they will give me every bit of public information on the target, and often times a little bit more. Ultras are people, after all. I believe this with all my heart. And people trust other people, even those that they ultimately shouldn't. I can assign as many targets as I wish, but the more I assign the less details I will probably get, and the longer it might take.


[ ] Debrief Information Gathering Mission [Timeslot cost 1, AP cost 0, returns 1 on success, can only be done in the morning, uncertain Snitcher risk]

Description: The information that the Resistance gathers is worthless if I never regain it. Using protocols I've worked out ahead of time, and my recent discovery of Snitcher's habits, it should be possible for me to take the Resistance's reports with minimal risk. I expect I should give them a day or two for local targets, and possibly as much as four for targets in Ar Harbor or further afield.

Smasher Actions:

[ ] Recuperate [Timeslot cost All]

Description: Smasher hangs on the edge of death. Her body and gift will try to knit her back together each day.


Owner Actions:

[ ] Acquire Funds [Timeslot cost 1]

Description: Owner takes action to get more and more valuable assets within our world, increasing her overall funding, hopefully permitting her gift's actions to be swifter and larger in impact. (Requires Write In clarification on how to do this)

[ ] Change Company [ Timeslot cost 1]

Description: Owner presently runs a package store, located in downtown Washington. She has, as near as I can estimate, a low six figures saved up. With this action I can direct her to acquire licenses, expand locations, purchase other businesses, or perform similar deeds, all based around changing the operation and activities of her imaginary franchise. (Requires Write In clarification on how to do this)

[ ] Company Action [ Timeslot cost 2]

Description: This is a catchall action for anything I might think of that could let Owner impact the main battle in Ar Harbor. Buying up local real estate and demolishing it on a certain date seems like the obvious course of action, but there are a lot of other fringe ideas that I've been entertaining. [Requires Write In clarification on how to do this. The first Action spent on this is about Owner doing tests to make sure this effort will work, the second actually kicks off whatever changes I want in the imaginary world.]

Builder Actions:

[ ] Repair Structure [Timeslot cost 1]

Description: Builder can repair most any structure any structure in just a few hours, spreading broken portions back into place and generating new matter as needed.


[ ] Construct Known Structure [ Timeslot cost 1]


Description: Builder can construct any easily described structure with the same ease that she repairs them. Her present education limits this to extremely primitive structures, but that might well be changeable.


[ ] Construct Known Items [Timeslot cost 1]


Description: Builder's gits aren't limited to buildings. If she can get a perfect understanding of an objects, and samples for every component, then she can form any items that I might desire. The easiest way to accomplish this, of course, would be to provide her with a sample.


[ ] Memorize Patterns [ Timeslot cost 1]


Description: Builder's gifts are heavily limited by her imperfect education. The more patterns I can get her to learn, the more she can construct from any given material. If I provide her with patterns or specimens I'm pretty sure she can memorize them and add them to her arsenal.
 
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Turn 20
Results from Previous round votes:

2 Vote plan Talon

1 Vote plan CCC

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Winning Plan:

[X] Plan Destroy Another Building

-[X] Assign Assassination mission : Guinevere [Timeslot cost 1, AP cost 3, returns 1 on success, can only be done in the morning, uncertain Snitcher risk]

-[X] Contact Knights (Timeslot cost: 1, AP cost 2, returns 1 on success) : why does it look like enemies are using their weapons? We don't want an alliance, but we do want an few enhanced Scythes of our own (I want to see if Builder can reshape them). Best case we could get some weapons useful for someone with Ultra Strength 1 or 2 (warband members).

-[X] Builder Action : Work on making our vehicles bulletproof, and on making it possible to sleep inside. Try adding spikes and whatnot. This may require she create another to fit everyone, but it's meant to be easier and quicker now.

-[X] Owner Action : Try to buy Merlin's house ("with the yellow paint on the roof in the middle of the city"), or at worst surrounding ones. If possible, don't actually sign the contract yet yet (negotiate, but keep them waiting for the final signature) so that the house isn't magically refurbished just yet.

-[X] Smasher Action : Train the warband in anti-firearm maneuvers

Day 21 Log :

7AP at start of day (6 at end of last day +1 for half night's sleep)

-3 for assign KEM assassination mission (4 AP)

Roll 2, +0 for failure (4 AP)

-2 for Contact Knights (2 AP)

Roll 10, +1 for success (3 AP)

Builder: Armor vehicle pattern

Roll 9, success

Owner: Almost buy Merlin's house

Roll 5, unknown

Builder: Smasher, Train recruits

Roll 5, success

End of day, 3 AP

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Put out KEM hit

I sat by the street side, drumming my fingers against the edge of the chair, irritated and perplexed.

I'd done this dozens of times, back before I'd become the Warlord. A simple signal, the drape of the Packer House's window folded just so. A counter signal, the old man who worked for Slaughterer across the street leaving both shoes outside. Sign and countersign.

I must have done it a dozen times, and it had gone off without a hitch this time too. So where the hell was my KEM contact?

I wasn't going to meet him, of course. Nothing so gauche. She was going to overhear me going on a super villain monolog about how I was going to destroy these idiots in the Round Table gang, how they'd rue the day they defied Her. The last person I cursed, at the end of my diatribe, was the target.

After they'd been set on Merlin's trail the things that followed were equally simple. The old man's sister would come by to talk with the Packers, and the notes that I'd taken on Merlin would have vanished away during that visit. They'd find their way into the hands of the actual killers, and a few days later my adversary would get heavier by a bullet's weight, and a lot less active.

I sat there for maybe a half hour, did some halfhearted ranting so it wouldn't seem suspicious. Finally I just left. The Lair is a hazardous place for ordinary humans. It wasn't beyond the bounds of possibility that some Ultra had killed my contact and they simply hadn't been able to replace her yet.

Whatever had happened, the timing couldn't have been worse. I was days away from the most dangerous situation in my life, and the people who'd pledged to have my back didn't know that I wanted them to do anything. I could have fucking screamed.

*************************************************************************************

Talk with Knights

"He'll see you now," said the Knight Commander.

He. Not they. They didn't even bother to pretend that the rest of Second Fist might matter. I could see why.

I didn't swallow nervously as I stepped through the door, didn't clench my fists or betray my nervousness in any other way. This was no big deal to me, I told myself. I spoke with morally repugnant beings who could end me all the time. Heck, one of them was my sponsor.

But it didn't take. Refiner was different. Joe Ludd was 'real' to me in a way that none of the rest of the freakshow really were. Picker and the other Ultras who had challenged me, they were ultimately victims, if looked at in a certain way. Just the detritus of a savage age. Somehow, no matter how long I lived, it all never felt real. I could cling to my memories of the past, of a time when things had been sane.

But Refiner had been a monster then, too.

He loomed before me, his minions clustered around the courtyard. It was like a day hadn't past. More, it was like his day never would. He stood tall, taller than he deserved to, a beast of the past still taking prey long after the rest of his vile kind had slunk off to irrelevancy and decrepitude.

Second Gettysburg had been foundational for me, and even then he'd seemed antique. How could we live in a world where the Knights of Purity existed, spread their terror? How could Ultra science coexist with people whose moral foundations were centered on skin color?

His voice rolled over me. I focused on the tone, letting the words slip by. I knew the gist. Barrels of wine, drops of sewage. The need to punish his enemies and the skin traitors who empowered them. Someone in my high school had done a scathing takedown of the Knights' creed for a junior high project. They'd made no updates since then.

I focused, instead, on the steps that had gotten me this appointment. On the inroads that I'd made previously, when I'd declined to punish his servants for Picker's offenses. On the way I'd pressed the similarity between King Arthur's weapons and their own, bullying the woman I'd dealt with last time into sending me up to the top of their hierarchy. It had all gone perfectly.

His offer, when it came, was about what I would expect. I could have robes. I could have scythes. 50 of each, enough for my whole posse, at his first level of blessing. That was, I supposed, about equivalent to Ultra toughness and strength one, with the caveat that it would only work when your skin was lighter than your victims.

In exchange he wanted an atrocity. After we won in Ar Harbor, I should have my gals stand aside and let his people work over the new citizens of the Regime, make sure they fit with his image of what we were all about. They had a color table, like you'd use on picking out shades of furniture back in the day.

It took all my willpower to thank them for their time and tell them that I'd think about it. On that, at least, I wasn't being deceptive. It would be very hard NOT to think about it.

*************************************************************************************

Debrief Posse:

"Owner, how'd it go?" I asked.

She could tell I wasn't in the mood for any real socializing today, that I was still digesting my unsatisfying encounters.

"I'm sorry, Blender, I really am."

I shook my head.

There wasn't a way to say it and not sound like a jerk, but I didn't need her apologies. I needed to know what had happened.

"I can't tell!" she blurted out.

"Can't tell?" I asked.

"If it worked. They money is gone, but its such a small amount that it might have been spent as part of a failure. I might be getting ready to buy the house, or I might have lost out to another bidder or whatever. I can't tell you, my gift just didn't give me any real feedback."

I reached up to massage my temples.

"Ok," I said, trying very hard not to think about how it would go if we had to fight invisible Ultras. "I guess at least it didn't say 'No'. Maybe we'll have time to have you try again."

I checked myself for a moment when I saw that she was visibly relieved. Had I ever been short with her? Ever given her any reason to fear giving me bad news?

Bah.

"Builder?" I asked.

She looked up from where she'd been waiting her turn. I had noticed that she hadn't chimed in during Owner's part, but I didn't really have time to look into it.

"Car armor. Carmor. Check."

"It works?" I pressed.

"Yeah, no sweat. There was an old wrecked thing that I took some material from, switched it into my main workings and, Blam, carmor."

"They are trucks." I pointed out.

"Yeah, so?" she asked.

"Wouldn't that make it, Truckmer?"

They both looked at me like I was a nut.

"That doesn't make ANY sense," said Owner.

"Words don't just combine like that," said Builder.

That got a chuckle out of me.

"Alright, you wordsmiths, did you by any chance happen to get the latest from Smasher? As far as how this morning's training went?"

"Fine," said Builder.

I gestured at her to elaborate, doing the little wrist roll motion.

"That's what she said. It went fine."

"I don't expect she's in any condition to go into details?" I pressed.

They shook their heads.

"Got to catch her in the morning," said Owner. "She's not herself by now."

"Fine," I said.

Fine.

*************************************************************************************

The Plan:

· On the 30th day we set out, the Warband and my Posse traveling in the trucks that Builder creates. We drive to within a few miles of Ar Harbor, then take up a position.

· We attack the following day, a frontal assault led by Smasher and myself. Our Ultras against their forces (both their Round Table leadership and the various minions they have) in a pitched battle in broad daylight, with Her watching through my form using Snitcher's gift.

· Ideally they make their stand outside of the restored downtown that I am supposed to preserve in the strike. If not we go in after them, wreck the place up in the fighting, and have Builder restore things afterwards.

Plan Assessment:

· Lancelot should lose to Smasher and myself, if not some of the more energetic Warband members. She is a benefit to me, someone to use for the highlight reel, make sure Prevailer is entertained.

· King Arthur is necessary so that they have enough soldiers to give us a good fight. She is also the 'final boss', and will hopefully command from their Union tank. Another excellent drama point for Her.

· Merlin, if uncountered, will cause the enemy to win the battle. I must come up with a plan to deal with her.

· Guinevere will be another very large problem, though not quite so big as Merlin. I believe Smasher can defeat her, but there are a lot of variables in that plan. Ideally I need to come up with a way to handle her other than hoping she dies in the fighting.

· In general my Yard Ultras should be man for man superior to King Arthur's gifted troops and whatever Ultars their side can scrounge up. I am confident in the outcome of the Ultra scrum provided no other factors infringe upon it.

· As far as hardware goes, our side has bolt action rifles with a few training sessions, their side may well have Union guns with months of training. They will have superior guns if nothing is done, which may help them to suppress our force advantage. Builder's efforts have gone a long way towards mitigating this, but the gap lingers.

· I need an answer from Her on what it entails to take the place intact. I'm putting a lot of hope on it being ok to have Builder fix damage afterwards. If that isn't acceptable, then I need to start planning right now for how to avoid damaging this place while I have an Ultra war there.

*************************************************************************************


Day 22:

Days remaining: 9

AP available: (3 at end of day + 1 for 6 hours sleep) = 4/10

Non AP Action: Swap in a new plan. You write in a new plan, I'll give you Mia's assessment of it. If you don't do this then the existing one will be executed. The plan that is in force when its execution date arrives will be used for the actual battle, though there may be mid battle votes that could alter it in process.

Walter Note: I am removing the faction rankings going forward, I never actually used them the way I thought I would, also Spoiler-ing Ultras for readability on SV.

Prestige: 3

Timeslots available: 2, morning and afternoon

Builder Timeslot Available: afternoon

Owner Timeslot Available: afternoon

Smasher : Timeslot Available: morning

Posse: 3 or 3 out of 3 slots filled

Force size: 46

Condition: Healthy

(Ultra format: Role, Ultra Strength/Speed/Toughness, other gift description)

Posse:

Builder — 0/0/0, a woman who can alter objects for miles around into other things, blessed with a 'Bulletproof' blend

Owner – housemate, 0/0/1 operates an imaginary firm, with real effects on the world,

Smasher — 3/0/1, a woman who is billed as the strongest Ultra fighter of all time

Ultra Allies:

Maker- Friend, and protégé of Snitcher, 0/0/1, can summon the spirit of things

Clawer – Ultra fighter 2/0/1, melee combatant, deadly hooks for hands

Stopper – partner of Clawer, 0/0/0, steals form's velocity by looking at them

Sticker – Did dentistry for her brother, 0/0/2, Creates slime, can choose its stickiness

Grower – 0/*0/1, an outside Ultra I sponsored into the Lair, has a bullet blend from me, can rapidly increase the size and mass of objects

Joker — 0/2/0, a woman who can change what other people/herself look like

Replayer — 1/2/0, she can 'step back in time' to undo damage that she takes

Ultra Enemies:

Masher- Enemy, and fellow protégé of Subtracter, 3*/0/3*, trades off strength and durability as she moves or stays still

Picker – First Fist protégé, 0/1/0, 'selects the outcome of things'

Ultra Acquaintances:

Tracker – Running buddy, 1/0/1, Creates tracks, and can move things on them

Shower – Adder's protégé, 1*/0/1*, gains strength and durability from witnesses

Echoer – Singer I am a fan of, 1/1/1, can duplicate any action that she sees

Bubbler – Operates Ultra clinic 0/0/?, traps things in bubbles that heal and move them

Sucker — Ultra entertainer, ?/?/?, pulls objects/people towards her at incredible rate

Gunner — 0/0/1, she shoots tracking Ultra Blasts at roughly Ultra Strength One

Chiller — 1/0/1, can freeze any object she touches, leaving them brittle and easily broken

Cutter — 1/1/1, she is a brutal front line combatant

Swimmer — 1/0/1, she can 'swim' through solid surfaces

Burner — 0/0/1, she can summon Ultra fire from anywhere that she can see

Maxxer — 0/0/0, she can augment the gifts of other Ultras, pushing their gifts

Puncher — 1/0/1, her strength and speed both go up when she repeats her movements


Actions:

[ ] Accept Refiner's Bargain (Timeslot cost: 0, AP cost 4, auto succeed)

Motive: His blessed weapons and armor would be a massive force multiplier for our group. He might also send along Knight backup. He would be a powerful additional patron.

Concerns: I would be responsible for a massacre in the immediate aftermath, or be killed by Second Fist if I backed out. Subtracter would also likely perceive this alliance as an attempt at weaseling out from under her command, so I'd have to tread very carefully to avoid offending her.


[ ] Seek Transportation

-[ ] Scavenge (Timeslot cost: 2; AP cost 4, refunds 3 on success)

Motive: My current transportation sufficed for me in my troubleshooter role, but I will likely require a larger vehicle, or several vehicles, in order to bring everyone to Ar Harbor. I can seek to find something in the suburbs and surrounding towns.

Concerns: Leaving Shington could be dangerous, and I am far from guaranteed to find a bus or truck suitable to my needs, as the area has already been heavily scavenged.

-[ ] Trade with existing owners (Timeslot cost: 1; AP cost 2, refunds 1 on success)

Motive: As above, but instead of fixing up ruined vehicles I'll negotiate to get them from their current owners.

Concerns: Snitcher may disapprove of a warlord being civil

-[ ] Seize by force (Timeslot cost: 2; AP cost 4, refunds 3 on success)

Motive: As above, but instead of asking my contacts for vehicles I'll just take what I want. My role as warlord and my Tally should minimize resistance

Concerns: People like their vehicles, and won't like the one who takes them. I will make enemies.

-[ ] Seek Transportation [Adder + Company] (Timeslot cost: 1; AP cost 2, refunds 1 on success)

Motive: As above, but Adder can use his gift to make something for my purposes, and the Company can duplicate it and make it permanent.

Concerns: Adder and I are not close, he may decline to aid me, owing to his rivalry with my sponsor, Subtracter.


[ ] Seek Target Information

-[ ] Company (Timeslot cost: 1; AP cost 2, refunds 1 on success)

Motive: The Company logs every Ultra they create. Their Ar Harbor records would be useful information

Concerns: Ultras migrate and conceal their gifts, this information would be incomplete

-[ ] Subtracter (Timeslot cost: 1; AP cost 3, refunds 1 on success)

Motive: Subtracter is the military leader of the Regime, she will have information on this target

Concerns: Subtracter is stupid and violent, I don't like to be around her

-[ ] Survivors (Timeslot cost:1; AP cost 2, refunds 1 on success)

Motive: There have been 2 other attempts at Ar Harbor. I can seek out and question survivors in the outer city.

Concerns: I may be unable to find any survivors, and I may be misled by liars.


[ ] Seek Posse Members

-[ ] wander & gossip, (Timeslot cost: 1; AP cost 1, refunds 1 on success)

Motive: There are dozens of powerful Ultras in the Lair. I know only the barest fraction of them. I can learn the basics on 1-6 of them in a few hours of socializing and gossiping, opening up in depth investigation options on them and adding them to my list of acquaintances.

Concerns: None

-[ ] At Ultra Fights, (Timeslot cost: 1; AP cost 1, refunds 1 on success)

Constraint: Only available in the afternoon or night on days divisible by 4 (day 4, 8, etc)

Motive: There are dozens of powerful Ultras in the Lair. I know only the barest fraction of them. I can learn the basics on 3-12 of them in a few hours of socializing and gossiping at this kind of event.

Concerns: Ultras associated with the Fights are more likely than most to be melee combatants.


[ ] Seek Warband Members

-[ ] At the Yard, (Timeslot cost: 1; AP cost 2, refunds 1 on success)

Motive: The Lair is surrounded by hundreds of Regime Ultras. The strongest come to the Yard to show their power and appeal to those like me, who would give them purpose. I should be able to gather between 5 and 20 Ultras of such caliber.

Concerns: I will need to provide housing and direction to these Ultras, or risk them wandering off. I can expect to spend at least an action a day on them, and training them might well eat up more. Ideally a Posse member will be tasked with this.

-[ ] [Gang name] From a Gang, (Timeslot cost: 2; AP cost 5, refunds 3 on success)

Motive: The Ultras that surround Shington are organized into Gangs dozens strong. If I can recruit such a force I might have my whole Warband right there.

Concerns: These Ultras likely already have patrons in the Lair, who I would need to negotiate with. Their leader would also likely want a place in my Posse, and she would be the primary locus of their loyalty until I'd had time to win them over.


[ ] Investigate Acquaintance:

-[ ] [Name], (Timeslot cost: 1; AP cost 2, refunds 1 on success, 2 if we become allies)

Motive: I can spend some serious one on one time with an Ultra I've chosen, evaluating the capability of their gift, the alignment of their values with mine, and their basic ccompetence. If all checks out, I might move them into my Ultra Allies column.

Concerns: None


[ ] Invite Ally into Posse:

-[ ] [Name], (Timeslot cost: 1; AP cost 3, refunds 3 on success)

Motive: If I want to bring an ally into my posse, get them to take actions on my behalf and rise or fall with me, this is the way to do it. I will only take this action on those I've already made allies, and once this has been taken it is difficult to undo.

Concerns: Posse members are most of the way into my circle of trust, and will operate on my behalf, representing me to stranger. A mistake here would be dangerous and damaging. I should be careful before taking this step, potentially investigating a prospect several times.


[ ] Seek Information on Snitcher's patterns

-[ ] Passive listening (Timeslot cost: 1; AP cost 1, refunds 1 on success)

Motive: Snitcher can ride my senses at any moment, and bring Her along. If I am ever to contact my KEM allies, my resistance allies, or show any kindness or weakness whatsoever, I need to understand when this is likely to take place. Gossip can hint at this, particularly if I carefully steer conversations. This action would be mostly undetectable, even if he was riding me when I took it.

Concerns: None

-[ ] Active interrogation of Snitches (Timeslot cost: 1; AP cost 3, refunds 2 on success)

Motive: As above, but rather than listen for random gossip I will seek out other linked individuals and directly ask them how often he rides their senses, and what actions he has reacted to in the past.

Concerns: More likely Snitcher notices this, unknown consequences of that.

-[ ] Confront Snitcher Directly (Timeslot cost:1; AP cost 4, refunds 3 on success)

Motive: As above, but take the simplest possible route. Go to Snitcher and ask him for the deal.

Concerns: I am sponsored by Subtracter, not Snitcher, he may not wish to aid me. He may demand favors or other services in exchange for the information.


[ ] Seek Information on Regime military operations

-[ ] Ask Subtracter (Timeslot cost: 1; AP cost 3, refunds 1 on success)

Motive: My life depends on doing this right. I need to get a basic understanding of what She is expecting from my attack on Ar Harbor. Do I need to seize the Company Facility? Kill all the enemies? Are there any constraints on how I go about it? Subtracter is the leader of the Regime's military, and my sponsor, she will know these answers.

Concerns: Subtracter is stupid and brutal, and she killed my neighbors, I hate spending time with her.

-[ ] Ask Around (Timeslot cost: 1; AP cost 2, refunds 1 on success)

Motive: As above, but ask survivors of previous missions instead of my evil boss.

Concerns: My predecessors may not have told them everything, their views of their missions may omit certain command level details that I need to worry about.


[ ] Relax and Recuperate

-[ ] By visiting Blisser (Timeslot cost: X (slots spent until AP reaches max), AP cost 0, returns 3 per time period. DANGER, this action may cause addiction)

-[ ]By lounging around, (Timeslot cost: 1, AP cost 0, refunds 1 on success)

Motive: I could do with some rest.

Concerns: None

-[ ]By patronizing entertainment areas (Timeslot cost: 1, AP cost 1, refunds 3 on success)

Motive: I could do with some rest, and I might learn some things by socializing

Concerns: None

-[ ]By using my gift to repair the city (Timeslot cost: 1, AP cost 2, refunds 5 on success)

Motive: It needs to be done.

Concerns: This is not becoming behavior of a warlord, Snitcher may take notice, and people may talk

-[ ]By using my gift to heal people (Timeslot cost: 1, AP cost 1, refunds 5 on success)

Motive: This is why I have my gift.

Concerns: This is not becoming behavior of a warlord, Snitcher may take notice, and people may talk


[ ] Organize Armory [Timeslot cost: 1, AP cost 2, returns 2 on success)

Motive: I carry, in my backpack and on my person, various items to blend with if the need arises. I am overdue to look through my setup and take an inventory, once that is done I could seek out new objects if I am missing anything useful.


Concerns: None


[ ] Action: Direct the Warband (Timeslot cost 0, AP cost 1, returns 1 if successful)

Motive: If I need to set my warband in motion, give them a project or whatever, it is as simple as telling them to jump. My will is their command.

-[ ] Let [Posse Member] Supervise, takes up the Posse Member's action, modifies success chance based on which Posse member it is, and which action


[ ] Action: Train the Warband (Timeslot cost 0, AP cost 1, returns 1 if successful) [Requires a timeslot from the teacher, who should probably be an Ultra combatant]

Motive: Yard Ultras are fierce, but undisciplined. They are warriors, not soldiers. I can get better outcomes if I teach them some basics.

-[ ] In Ultra Combat (Gives bonuses on their battle rolls)

-[ ] In anti firearm maneuvers (Makes them suffer less casualties under fire)

-[ ] In obedience (makes them more likely to obey my orders)


[ ] Action: Other (Timeslot cost: x, returns x if successful)


KEM Actions:

[ ] Assign Assassination mission [Timeslot cost 1, AP cost 3, returns 1 on success, can only be done in the morning, uncertain Snitcher risk]


Description: KEM are the only humans who fight back on a consistent, day to day basis. We've come up together, they and I, and pointing them at my foes is only common sense. If I give them a target, then I trust them to make a good faith effort to put that Ultra down. Their odds of success, of course, vary wildly depending on how much info I can provide, and the gifts of the Ultra in question.


Resistance Actions:

[ ] Assign Information Gathering Mission [Timeslot cost 1, AP cost 2, returns 1 on success, can only be done in the morning, uncertain Snitcher risk]

Description: The humans are the ocean in which the Ultras swim, the saying goes. The Resistance's capacity to gather information about Ultras is unsurpassed. If I give them a target, then they will give me every bit of public information on the target, and often times a little bit more. Ultras are people, after all. I believe this with all my heart. And people trust other people, even those that they ultimately shouldn't. I can assign as many targets as I wish, but the more I assign the less details I will probably get, and the longer it might take.


[ ] Debrief Information Gathering Mission [Timeslot cost 1, AP cost 0, returns 1 on success, can only be done in the morning, uncertain Snitcher risk]

Description: The information that the Resistance gathers is worthless if I never regain it. Using protocols I've worked out ahead of time, and my recent discovery of Snitcher's habits, it should be possible for me to take the Resistance's reports with minimal risk. I expect I should give them a day or two for local targets, and possibly as much as four for targets in Ar Harbor or further afield.

Smasher Actions:

[ ] Recuperate [Timeslot cost All]

Description: Smasher hangs on the edge of death. Her body and gift will try to knit her back together each day.


Owner Actions:

[ ] Acquire Funds [Timeslot cost 1]

Description: Owner takes action to get more and more valuable assets within our world, increasing her overall funding, hopefully permitting her gift's actions to be swifter and larger in impact. (Requires Write In clarification on how to do this)

[ ] Change Company [ Timeslot cost 1]

Description: Owner presently runs a package store, located in downtown Washington. She has, as near as I can estimate, a low six figures saved up. With this action I can direct her to acquire licenses, expand locations, purchase other businesses, or perform similar deeds, all based around changing the operation and activities of her imaginary franchise. (Requires Write In clarification on how to do this)

[ ] Company Action [ Timeslot cost 2]

Description: This is a catchall action for anything I might think of that could let Owner impact the main battle in Ar Harbor. Buying up local real estate and demolishing it on a certain date seems like the obvious course of action, but there are a lot of other fringe ideas that I've been entertaining. [Requires Write In clarification on how to do this. The first Action spent on this is about Owner doing tests to make sure this effort will work, the second actually kicks off whatever changes I want in the imaginary world.]

Builder Actions:

[ ] Repair Structure [Timeslot cost 1]

Description: Builder can repair most any structure any structure in just a few hours, spreading broken portions back into place and generating new matter as needed.


[ ] Construct Known Structure [ Timeslot cost 1]


Description: Builder can construct any easily described structure with the same ease that she repairs them. Her present education limits this to extremely primitive structures, but that might well be changeable.


[ ] Construct Known Items [Timeslot cost 1]


Description: Builder's gits aren't limited to buildings. If she can get a perfect understanding of an objects, and samples for every component, then she can form any items that I might desire. The easiest way to accomplish this, of course, would be to provide her with a sample.


[ ] Memorize Patterns [ Timeslot cost 1]


Description: Builder's gifts are heavily limited by her imperfect education. The more patterns I can get her to learn, the more she can construct from any given material. If I provide her with patterns or specimens I'm pretty sure she can memorize them and add them to her arsenal.
 
Turn 21
Results from Previous round votes:

4 Vote plan CCC (!!! New record!)

*************************************************************************************

Winning Plan:

Plan:

Morning: Investigate ally: Smasher. Find out exactly what her power can and can't do.

Afternoon: Seek Information on Regime military operations: Ask around. Asking Subtractor didn't help, let's ask around and find other people to query. Especially with regards to whether or not restoring the damage afterwards with Builder is going to help.

Builder: Let's try something. Builder can take a substance and make more of that substance. Can she turn a bottle of water into a high-pressure firehose by vastly increasing the amount of water in the bottle? (She might need a strong bottle).

Owner: Look after the Army for a while. Try training them in basic combat.

Smasher: Tell me all about her power.


Day 22 Log :

4 AP at start of day (3 at end of last day +1 for half night's sleep)

-1 for talk with Smasher about her gift (3 AP)

Roll 5, +1 for success (4 AP)

-2 for Seek Info on Regime Military Operations (2 AP)

Roll 8, +1 for success (3 AP)

Builder Experiment with Water

Roll 9, success

Owner: Train Army

Roll 5, success

End of day, 3 AP

*************************************************************************************

Talk with Smasher

"What's your deal?" I asked.

She looked back to me, casually throwing a pill or two down her throat. I hid a grimace.

The reason I'd chosen to speak with her in the morning was simple. It was when she was soberest, the brief time between waking up and filling herself up with pills and booze. It would probably be my only chance.

"I'm cool," she answered, giving a shrug.

"Your gift, though," she says. "What does it actually do?"

I realized she was about to say 'smashes stuff' a second before she opened her mouth.

"Smashes stuff."

"Right, sure,' I said, conscious of her ever dwindling sobriety, "But you smashed your wounds off earlier. What's up with that?"

She looked a little confused.

"I smashed them," she said, "they kinda hurt."

I'd had that coming. Alright. I tried to reformat my expectations, get on her level.

"What other things can you smash?" I asked.

She was about to say 'everything'.

"Everything," she said.

"Could you smash all the germs out of a person?" I asked.

"What's a germ?" she asked, seemingly curious.

Jesus, ok , right, why would she know basic things.

"Can you smash small things out of big things?" I asked.

"Small things are easy to smash?" she said, raising her voice at the end of the sentence to make it a question.

"But wounds aren't a thing," I said, aware that I was going down a rabbit hole, but powerless to stop it.

"Sure they are," she said.

"No," I responded, "They are an absence, or an attribute, or, I don't know, its just a word that we use to describe how people…"

I trailed off, realizing that she was gazing at me with pity.

"Things are what you can see," she told me, like she was telling a lesson to a child, "Since you can see wounds they are a thing. I think that absence or attribute stuff is just something you made up."

I took a second to think of a way to say the next thing.

"You have to be careful not to just believe in stuff you think of," she says, "Some of my buds never came back from their trips because of that."

"Alright," I said. "Sorry, yeah, I don't know what I was thinking. So you can smash anything that you see, right?"

"Sure," she said.

"What about the part of the gun the bullet come out of?" I asked. "That should be a 'thing', right? Could you smash one that part?"

She reached out a hand towards me, and I passed the gun over.

I wasn't even really surprised when she plucked the hole right off the front of the gun, crumpling it up and tossing it off to the side. I was learning.

I followed the hole's flight with my gaze, it bounced off the edge of a chair, rolled to a stop at the edge of the dresser. I was half expecting it to work like a cartoon 'portable hole', and now be a hole in the floor, but it just sat there, looking like a crumpled up piece of paper.

"I get it," I said. "Anything you can see you can smash. Makes sense. Does that stop collateral damage, um, do you only smash what you want to smash?"

She screwed up her face a bit, kind of looked away.

"I feel like you are leading up to wanting to fuck, Blender. I don't do that."

"Uh…right," I said. "Good to know."

We sat in silence for a moment, which she broke by opening a beer and chugging on it.

I left a little bit after that.

*************************************************************************************

Seek info from Veterans

I'd done this a few times before, and it hadn't gotten any easier. None of the Ultras associated with the previous Warlord's failures really wanted to advertise the fact, and with 2 failures preceding me it was hard to find living representatives of prior missions, ones who might be less ashamed of their service.

But hard was not impossible, and I'd done this before. I'd posted up in the Lair's most prestigious Company Facility and let the word get out that I'd be very grateful for the information I was looking for. A steady string of folks had come by.

The most common response was something along the lines of "She never asked NOT to kill everyone and smash everything. That's, like, the opposite of what She usually tells people to do." I had to process a lot of people like that before I found anyone else who had had an assignment even remotely like mine.

"We were supposed to fetch a red car," said the old woman. "The sort that She was never allowed to drive back in the old world or something."

It wasn't an exact match, but it was the best I was going to get.

"Go on," I told her. "How'd that go?"

"It was in Pantheon hands, one of their warlords had it. We rolled up and caught them out in Tucky, took em out and dragged the red car back."

"Did the car get smashed?" I asked.

She gave a sullen nod.

"What'd your warlord do?" I pressed.

She gave me a canny glare, eyes sullen and hard. She'd been around a while, had an eye out for the main chance. She could tell I wanted this.

"I'll owe you a favor," I allowed. "Not unrestricted, but something reasonable."

"Alright," she said, "That's fine. Yeah, we fucked the car up, then Adder made a new one. I guess She was ok with it, because the Warlord went on for another 2 missions."

I was able to keep myself from physically clenching my fist in triumph, but my grin probably gave the game away. It sounded like we could go nuts as long as we left enough for Builder to put everything back together.

*************************************************************************************

Debrief Posse:

"How'd your meeting with Smasher go?" asked Owner.

"Fine," I answered, shortly.

"You find out everything her gift can-"

"I got some stuff," I said. "It was great. I also felt a hangover coming on from the proximity fumes, and I remind you that I'm not a pushover."

I'd almost said 'ultra tough', but Builder hadn't earned that particular revelation just yet.

Builder chuckled.

"Well, my stuff went pretty well?"

"Water cannons?" I asked.

"Sort of," she answered. "I can definitely add water to existing water, as long as it isn't in a person. So I can rupture bottles of the stuff, that kind of thing."

"What would happen if the container was very strong?" I asked, trying to hold off the flashbacks to my earlier attempts at getting someone to explore their gift.

"I think it would still break," she said. "Like I'm adding a few feet of water a second, busts a hole right through the side."

"You've tested this?" I asked.

"On Owner's plastic water bottles. I still get a kick out of that. In your time they put water in bottles and sold it? Did they, like, not know about rain?"

I smiled blandly, suppressing the 'in your time they forgot how to make food for themselves and they send children to fight wars' style retort that jumped readily to the tip of my tongue.

"Anything tougher?" I asked.

"I couldn't figure out a way where I could still see inside to add the water if I didn't use a see through container," she said. "I tried putting a hole in a truck gas tank, but then the water just came out of the hole."

"Still," I said, "Encouraging results. There's got to be a way or two to break that, get us some kind of water laser cannon."

"Training went fine," piped up Owner.

We both looked over at her.

"Like…just fine," she said, deflating a little. "There was some fighting and some stuff I told them to back down and they ignored me, but that wasn't most of them. It was fine."

I massaged my temples. I thought I'd trained them to take orders from the non combat duo. Ultras!

"Good day?" asked Builder.

I gave her a weak smile, thoughts already turning to the plan.


*************************************************************************************

Walter Note (I'm going to be putting Mia's thoughts in line by line instead of all at the end, I found myself scrolling back and forth anyway, and I think it is just easier.)

The Plan:

– We should attack on the 28th. We shouldn't tell anyone about this until about the 25th. This will throw a spanner in the works of any trap they're planning that requires that they have an idea of when we're coming.

– If we head over on the 30th, we can expect to 'coincidentally' meet a Union patrol partway there who will inflict some damage on us. We should prepare for this possibility, even at our earlier date.

"I like the idea of attacking at a different date from when I tell the troops that we will. I'm concerned that they may be able to get a signal to King Arthur and his Union buds after we tell them on the 25th. Maybe I should tell them the night before, or just the day of?"

– Merlin's invisible troops are, of course, invisible. They are also carrying Knight equipment. Picker's assassins carried Knight equipment. Hmmm. But what the Knights are asking for in exchange for the use of their equipment is morally completely reprehensible. I can't countenance that, and would lose my Resistance contact if I did. (I would deserve to lose my Resistance contact if I did that. I would be truly a monster.)

"Yes, very true. I don't want to work with Refiner and his pets any more than I have to."

– I need to bear in mind that Merlin and Arthur might have empowered the same people. That is to say, some of Merlin's invisible assassins might have Ultra Strength, or Speed, or Toughness. They're already hitting above their weight – on top of that, they may actually have some weight to hit on top of.

"Very worrying possibility."

– Another option for dealing with Merlin is to take advantage of KEM. I know where she lives, what she can do and who she cares for; leaving that report on Merlin in the right place should be enough to get her killed outright. However, I shouldn't use KEM on more than one person. Merlin is a greater threat than Guinevere.

"This is a good idea. I tried to have KEM kill Merlin once already, hopefully there will be enough time to try again. I really don't think I can win the fight if they have invisible warriors."

– Third option – use Owner to demolish Merlin's house in the middle of the night (buying and demolishing the property).

"I'd rather use KEM, but this might be a 'why not both'? situation."

– Fourth option – take advantage of Builder's stuff-stretching ability to ensure that our confrontation happens in an ankle-deep flood. Even invisible people can be seen walking through ankle-deep water – if nothing else, by the foot-shaped hollows in the water.

"I guess it couldn't hurt, but when I remember my past fights and try and imagine looking at the ground constantly to see if footprints are getting closer my immediate reaction is that the person I'm fighting would take that opportunity to hit me. We'll try this in the worst case scenario, but I'm dubious."

– Guinevere is easily handled. I need merely imbue my Posse with fireproof; after that, Smasher can take her out easily. (Ankle-deep water should mess with her, too, by extinguishing a lot of fires).

"My ability doesn't really work that way, but I can see how I forgot that for a sec. (out of character, this is a CCC plan, and the clarifications were on the board, not the blog). My gift adjusts people's 'metadata', a set of 3-4 keywords that define them. Adding one in, like 'fireproof' risks the possibility that the one that falls off will be something like 'sane', or 'mobile'. I got lucky with Grower and Builder. If I tried the same thing on 50 people I wouldn't have fifty fireproof people when I was done, or 50 living people."

– Lancelot and Arthur are unlikely to be trouble in the final confrontation.

– That giant Union tank, on the other hand, is a problem (and not a small one). But Builder should be able to deal with it; her power works at any range. She can close off any gun barrels by extending the barrel material _inwards_, she can mess up the engine by making the internals just grow crazy spikes everywhere, and so on. Once she can see it, she can ruin it utterly – and probably without even leaving any external sign of her sabotage, so it can all be blamed on the Union being idiots.

"Builder can wreck it very fast as soon as she can see it, though she can't grow stuff on the internals unless she can see into it. But adding stuff to the outside where she can see it will rapidly render the tank unusable. I like this idea."

– If the Ar Harbour team don't want to come out and fight, we can draw them out by taking hostages. from the people they care for. This strategy is unpleasant and distasteful, but it will work, and will draw them away from buildings. Moreover, I don't actually need to permanently harm the hostages, not if I'm threatening enough.

"It sounds like I am allowed to wreck the place as long as we fix it, and I'm also really not loving the idea of taking hostages."

*************************************************************************************


Day 23:

Days remaining: 8

AP available: (3 at end of day + 1 for 6 hours sleep) = 4/10

Non AP Action: Swap in a new plan. You write in a new plan, I'll give you Mia's assessment of it. If you don't do this then the existing one will be executed. The plan that is in force when its execution date arrives will be used for the actual battle, though there may be mid battle votes that could alter it in process.

Prestige: 3

Timeslots available: 2, morning and afternoon

Builder Timeslot Available: afternoon

Owner Timeslot Available: afternoon

Smasher : Timeslot Available: morning

Posse: 3 or 3 out of 3 slots filled

Force size: 46

Condition: Healthy

(Ultra format: Role, Ultra Strength/Speed/Toughness, other gift description)

Posse:

Builder — 0/0/0, a woman who can alter objects for miles around into other things, blessed with a 'Bulletproof' blend

Owner – housemate, 0/0/1 operates an imaginary firm, with real effects on the world,

Smasher — 3/0/1, a woman who is billed as the strongest Ultra fighter of all time

Ultra Allies:

Maker- Friend, and protégé of Snitcher, 0/0/1, can summon the spirit of things

Clawer – Ultra fighter 2/0/1, melee combatant, deadly hooks for hands

Stopper – partner of Clawer, 0/0/0, steals form's velocity by looking at them

Sticker – Did dentistry for her brother, 0/0/2, Creates slime, can choose its stickiness

Grower – 0/*0/1, an outside Ultra I sponsored into the Lair, has a bullet blend from me, can rapidly increase the size and mass of objects

Joker — 0/2/0, a woman who can change what other people/herself look like

Replayer — 1/2/0, she can 'step back in time' to undo damage that she takes

Ultra Enemies:

Masher- Enemy, and fellow protégé of Subtracter, 3*/0/3*, trades off strength and durability as she moves or stays still

Picker – First Fist protégé, 0/1/0, 'selects the outcome of things'

Ultra Acquaintances:

Tracker – Running buddy, 1/0/1, Creates tracks, and can move things on them

Shower – Adder's protégé, 1*/0/1*, gains strength and durability from witnesses

Echoer – Singer I am a fan of, 1/1/1, can duplicate any action that she sees

Bubbler – Operates Ultra clinic 0/0/?, traps things in bubbles that heal and move them

Sucker — Ultra entertainer, ?/?/?, pulls objects/people towards her at incredible rate

Gunner — 0/0/1, she shoots tracking Ultra Blasts at roughly Ultra Strength One

Chiller — 1/0/1, can freeze any object she touches, leaving them brittle and easily broken

Cutter — 1/1/1, she is a brutal front line combatant

Swimmer — 1/0/1, she can 'swim' through solid surfaces

Burner — 0/0/1, she can summon Ultra fire from anywhere that she can see

Maxxer — 0/0/0, she can augment the gifts of other Ultras, pushing their gifts

Puncher — 1/0/1, her strength and speed both go up when she repeats her movements


Actions:

[ ] Accept Refiner's Bargain (Timeslot cost: 0, AP cost 4, auto succeed)

Motive: His blessed weapons and armor would be a massive force multiplier for our group. He might also send along Knight backup. He would be a powerful additional patron.

Concerns: I would be responsible for a massacre in the immediate aftermath, or be killed by Second Fist if I backed out. Subtracter would also likely perceive this alliance as an attempt at weaseling out from under her command, so I'd have to tread very carefully to avoid offending her.


[ ] Seek Transportation

-[ ] Scavenge (Timeslot cost: 2; AP cost 4, refunds 3 on success)

Motive: My current transportation sufficed for me in my troubleshooter role, but I will likely require a larger vehicle, or several vehicles, in order to bring everyone to Ar Harbor. I can seek to find something in the suburbs and surrounding towns.

Concerns: Leaving Shington could be dangerous, and I am far from guaranteed to find a bus or truck suitable to my needs, as the area has already been heavily scavenged.

-[ ] Trade with existing owners (Timeslot cost: 1; AP cost 2, refunds 1 on success)

Motive: As above, but instead of fixing up ruined vehicles I'll negotiate to get them from their current owners.

Concerns: Snitcher may disapprove of a warlord being civil

-[ ] Seize by force (Timeslot cost: 2; AP cost 4, refunds 3 on success)

Motive: As above, but instead of asking my contacts for vehicles I'll just take what I want. My role as warlord and my Tally should minimize resistance

Concerns: People like their vehicles, and won't like the one who takes them. I will make enemies.

-[ ] Seek Transportation [Adder + Company] (Timeslot cost: 1; AP cost 2, refunds 1 on success)

Motive: As above, but Adder can use his gift to make something for my purposes, and the Company can duplicate it and make it permanent.

Concerns: Adder and I are not close, he may decline to aid me, owing to his rivalry with my sponsor, Subtracter.


[ ] Seek Target Information

-[ ] Company (Timeslot cost: 1; AP cost 2, refunds 1 on success)

Motive: The Company logs every Ultra they create. Their Ar Harbor records would be useful information

Concerns: Ultras migrate and conceal their gifts, this information would be incomplete

-[ ] Subtracter (Timeslot cost: 1; AP cost 3, refunds 1 on success)

Motive: Subtracter is the military leader of the Regime, she will have information on this target

Concerns: Subtracter is stupid and violent, I don't like to be around her

-[ ] Survivors (Timeslot cost:1; AP cost 2, refunds 1 on success)

Motive: There have been 2 other attempts at Ar Harbor. I can seek out and question survivors in the outer city.

Concerns: I may be unable to find any survivors, and I may be misled by liars.


[ ] Seek Posse Members

-[ ] wander & gossip, (Timeslot cost: 1; AP cost 1, refunds 1 on success)

Motive: There are dozens of powerful Ultras in the Lair. I know only the barest fraction of them. I can learn the basics on 1-6 of them in a few hours of socializing and gossiping, opening up in depth investigation options on them and adding them to my list of acquaintances.

Concerns: None

-[ ] At Ultra Fights, (Timeslot cost: 1; AP cost 1, refunds 1 on success)

Constraint: Only available in the afternoon or night on days divisible by 4 (day 4, 8, etc)

Motive: There are dozens of powerful Ultras in the Lair. I know only the barest fraction of them. I can learn the basics on 3-12 of them in a few hours of socializing and gossiping at this kind of event.

Concerns: Ultras associated with the Fights are more likely than most to be melee combatants.


[ ] Seek Warband Members

-[ ] At the Yard, (Timeslot cost: 1; AP cost 2, refunds 1 on success)

Motive: The Lair is surrounded by hundreds of Regime Ultras. The strongest come to the Yard to show their power and appeal to those like me, who would give them purpose. I should be able to gather between 5 and 20 Ultras of such caliber.

Concerns: I will need to provide housing and direction to these Ultras, or risk them wandering off. I can expect to spend at least an action a day on them, and training them might well eat up more. Ideally a Posse member will be tasked with this.

-[ ] [Gang name] From a Gang, (Timeslot cost: 2; AP cost 5, refunds 3 on success)

Motive: The Ultras that surround Shington are organized into Gangs dozens strong. If I can recruit such a force I might have my whole Warband right there.

Concerns: These Ultras likely already have patrons in the Lair, who I would need to negotiate with. Their leader would also likely want a place in my Posse, and she would be the primary locus of their loyalty until I'd had time to win them over.


[ ] Investigate Acquaintance:

-[ ] [Name], (Timeslot cost: 1; AP cost 2, refunds 1 on success, 2 if we become allies)

Motive: I can spend some serious one on one time with an Ultra I've chosen, evaluating the capability of their gift, the alignment of their values with mine, and their basic competence. If all checks out, I might move them into my Ultra Allies column.

Concerns: None


[ ] Invite Ally into Posse:

-[ ] [Name], (Timeslot cost: 1; AP cost 3, refunds 3 on success)

Motive: If I want to bring an ally into my posse, get them to take actions on my behalf and rise or fall with me, this is the way to do it. I will only take this action on those I've already made allies, and once this has been taken it is difficult to undo.

Concerns: Posse members are most of the way into my circle of trust, and will operate on my behalf, representing me to stranger. A mistake here would be dangerous and damaging. I should be careful before taking this step, potentially investigating a prospect several times.


[ ] Seek Information on Snitcher's patterns

-[ ] Passive listening (Timeslot cost: 1; AP cost 1, refunds 1 on success)

Motive: Snitcher can ride my senses at any moment, and bring Her along. If I am ever to contact my KEM allies, my resistance allies, or show any kindness or weakness whatsoever, I need to understand when this is likely to take place. Gossip can hint at this, particularly if I carefully steer conversations. This action would be mostly undetectable, even if he was riding me when I took it.

Concerns: None

-[ ] Active interrogation of Snitches (Timeslot cost: 1; AP cost 3, refunds 2 on success)

Motive: As above, but rather than listen for random gossip I will seek out other linked individuals and directly ask them how often he rides their senses, and what actions he has reacted to in the past.

Concerns: More likely Snitcher notices this, unknown consequences of that.

-[ ] Confront Snitcher Directly (Timeslot cost:1; AP cost 4, refunds 3 on success)

Motive: As above, but take the simplest possible route. Go to Snitcher and ask him for the deal.

Concerns: I am sponsored by Subtracter, not Snitcher, he may not wish to aid me. He may demand favors or other services in exchange for the information.


[ ] Seek Information on Regime military operations

-[ ] Ask Subtracter (Timeslot cost: 1; AP cost 3, refunds 1 on success)

Motive: My life depends on doing this right. I need to get a basic understanding of what She is expecting from my attack on Ar Harbor. Do I need to seize the Company Facility? Kill all the enemies? Are there any constraints on how I go about it? Subtracter is the leader of the Regime's military, and my sponsor, she will know these answers.

Concerns: Subtracter is stupid and brutal, and she killed my neighbors, I hate spending time with her.

-[ ] Ask Around (Timeslot cost: 1; AP cost 2, refunds 1 on success)

Motive: As above, but ask survivors of previous missions instead of my evil boss.

Concerns: My predecessors may not have told them everything, their views of their missions may omit certain command level details that I need to worry about.


[ ] Relax and Recuperate

-[ ] By visiting Blisser (Timeslot cost: X (slots spent until AP reaches max), AP cost 0, returns 3 per time period. DANGER, this action may cause addiction)

-[ ]By lounging around, (Timeslot cost: 1, AP cost 0, refunds 1 on success)

Motive: I could do with some rest.

Concerns: None

-[ ]By patronizing entertainment areas (Timeslot cost: 1, AP cost 1, refunds 3 on success)

Motive: I could do with some rest, and I might learn some things by socializing

Concerns: None

-[ ]By using my gift to repair the city (Timeslot cost: 1, AP cost 2, refunds 5 on success)

Motive: It needs to be done.

Concerns: This is not becoming behavior of a warlord, Snitcher may take notice, and people may talk

-[ ]By using my gift to heal people (Timeslot cost: 1, AP cost 1, refunds 5 on success)

Motive: This is why I have my gift.

Concerns: This is not becoming behavior of a warlord, Snitcher may take notice, and people may talk


[ ] Organize Armory [Timeslot cost: 1, AP cost 2, returns 2 on success)

Motive: I carry, in my backpack and on my person, various items to blend with if the need arises. I am overdue to look through my setup and take an inventory, once that is done I could seek out new objects if I am missing anything useful.


Concerns: None


[ ] Action: Direct the Warband (Timeslot cost 0, AP cost 1, returns 1 if successful)

Motive: If I need to set my warband in motion, give them a project or whatever, it is as simple as telling them to jump. My will is their command.

-[ ] Let [Posse Member] Supervise, takes up the Posse Member's action, modifies success chance based on which Posse member it is, and which action


[ ] Action: Train the Warband (Timeslot cost 0, AP cost 1, returns 1 if successful) [Requires a timeslot from the teacher, who should probably be an Ultra combatant]

Motive: Yard Ultras are fierce, but undisciplined. They are warriors, not soldiers. I can get better outcomes if I teach them some basics.

-[ ] In Ultra Combat (Gives bonuses on their battle rolls)

-[ ] In anti firearm maneuvers (Makes them suffer less casualties under fire)

-[ ] In obedience (makes them more likely to obey my orders)


[ ] Action: Other (Timeslot cost: x, returns x if successful)


KEM Actions:

[ ] Assign Assassination mission [Timeslot cost 1, AP cost 3, returns 1 on success, can only be done in the morning, uncertain Snitcher risk]


Description: KEM are the only humans who fight back on a consistent, day to day basis. We've come up together, they and I, and pointing them at my foes is only common sense. If I give them a target, then I trust them to make a good faith effort to put that Ultra down. Their odds of success, of course, vary wildly depending on how much info I can provide, and the gifts of the Ultra in question.


Resistance Actions:

[ ] Assign Information Gathering Mission [Timeslot cost 1, AP cost 2, returns 1 on success, can only be done in the morning, uncertain Snitcher risk]

Description: The humans are the ocean in which the Ultras swim, the saying goes. The Resistance's capacity to gather information about Ultras is unsurpassed. If I give them a target, then they will give me every bit of public information on the target, and often times a little bit more. Ultras are people, after all. I believe this with all my heart. And people trust other people, even those that they ultimately shouldn't. I can assign as many targets as I wish, but the more I assign the less details I will probably get, and the longer it might take.


[ ] Debrief Information Gathering Mission [Timeslot cost 1, AP cost 0, returns 1 on success, can only be done in the morning, uncertain Snitcher risk]

Description: The information that the Resistance gathers is worthless if I never regain it. Using protocols I've worked out ahead of time, and my recent discovery of Snitcher's habits, it should be possible for me to take the Resistance's reports with minimal risk. I expect I should give them a day or two for local targets, and possibly as much as four for targets in Ar Harbor or further afield.

Smasher Actions:

[ ] Recuperate [Timeslot cost All]

Description: Smasher hangs on the edge of death. Her body and gift will try to knit her back together each day.


Owner Actions:

[ ] Acquire Funds [Timeslot cost 1]

Description: Owner takes action to get more and more valuable assets within our world, increasing her overall funding, hopefully permitting her gift's actions to be swifter and larger in impact. (Requires Write In clarification on how to do this)

[ ] Change Company [ Timeslot cost 1]

Description: Owner presently runs a package store, located in downtown Washington. She has, as near as I can estimate, a low six figures saved up. With this action I can direct her to acquire licenses, expand locations, purchase other businesses, or perform similar deeds, all based around changing the operation and activities of her imaginary franchise. (Requires Write In clarification on how to do this)

[ ] Company Action [ Timeslot cost 2]

Description: This is a catchall action for anything I might think of that could let Owner impact the main battle in Ar Harbor. Buying up local real estate and demolishing it on a certain date seems like the obvious course of action, but there are a lot of other fringe ideas that I've been entertaining. [Requires Write In clarification on how to do this. The first Action spent on this is about Owner doing tests to make sure this effort will work, the second actually kicks off whatever changes I want in the imaginary world.]

Builder Actions:

[ ] Repair Structure [Timeslot cost 1]

Description: Builder can repair most any structure any structure in just a few hours, spreading broken portions back into place and generating new matter as needed.


[ ] Construct Known Structure [ Timeslot cost 1]


Description: Builder can construct any easily described structure with the same ease that she repairs them. Her present education limits this to extremely primitive structures, but that might well be changeable.


[ ] Construct Known Items [Timeslot cost 1]


Description: Builder's gits aren't limited to buildings. If she can get a perfect understanding of an objects, and samples for every component, then she can form any items that I might desire. The easiest way to accomplish this, of course, would be to provide her with a sample.


[ ] Memorize Patterns [ Timeslot cost 1]


Description: Builder's gifts are heavily limited by her imperfect education. The more patterns I can get her to learn, the more she can construct from any given material. If I provide her with patterns or specimens I'm pretty sure she can memorize them and add them to her arsenal.
 
Turn 22
Results from Previous round votes:

2 Votes plan Fireproof

1 Vote plan CCC

*************************************************************************************

Winning Plan:

Plan:

[X] Plan Fireproof

-[X] Assign Assassination mission : Merlin [Timeslot cost 1, AP cost 3, returns 1 on success, can only be done in the morning, uncertain Snitcher risk]. If possible, tell them to kill her on the 27th or 28th, a few days before "we attack".

-[X] Relac and Recuperate : By patronizing entertainment areas (Timeslot cost: 1, AP cost 1, refunds 3 on success)

-[X] Owner: Buy fireproof fabric (AFAIK it's usually asbestos-derivative). It's usually readily available to fight fires, and you can buy a "fire blanket" quite easily in any decent-sized city.

-[X] Builder: Make our vehicles fireproof using the stuff Owner just got. If possible, make clothes out of it, or make the existing bulletproof ponchos fireproof.

-[X] Smasher: Train the Warband: In obedience (makes them more likely to obey my orders)

Day 23 Log :

4 AP at start of day (3 at end of last day +1 for half night's sleep)

-3 Assign Assassination mission : Merlin (1 AP)

Roll 7, +1 for success (2 AP)

-1 Relax and Recuperate (entertainment) (1 AP)

Roll 10, +5 for critical success (6 AP)

Builder Discover fireproof pattern

Roll 7, success

Owner: Buy fireproof fabric

Roll 3, indeterminate

Smasher: Train the Warband

Roll 4, success

End of day, 6 AP

*************************************************************************************

Assign Assassination Mission:

I sat nervously in the corner booth, 'studying' the target information for Merlin.

I'd long since memorized it, of course, or at least all of the important information. When your life was on the line, you put that kind of basic effort in.

Or at least, I did. But the Ultras of the Regime had a different culture, and for one of them it would be entirely plausible to still be reading up on this type of target details. Heck, it would probably be entirely plausible for a typical Ultra to be moving their lips while they tried to read it.

My red pen was hard at work. I made meaningless notations, circled unimportant words, etc. It was a gift from Owner, and it lent a little verisimilitude to my performance. It also gave me something to do, kept me from feeling like I was just sitting there.

The failure of my last handoff had unnerved me a little. I'd taken it for granted that KEM would be there when I called, that if I could just manage the issue of Snitcher I would be able to borrow their power.

But the world wasn't so convenient. Things that might once have been routine, simple handoffs, communications, were nowadays fraught with tension and danger. The courier might have died, his cell been rolled up. I might have been disavowed, my service to the Regime rendering me no longer a fellow traveler to KEM. All sorts of terrible possibilities.

But there were also a lot of simple ones. Miscommunications, inconveniences…these were also rife in the present day. There was no call to jump to a despairing conclusion.

Too many people gave up after one failure. They took plans that had nearly worked and scrapped them entirely. It was a sickness, a weakness, and it was one that I didn't share.

I'd given the signal, and I'd received the countersignal. Only the handoff remained.

I took a last long look around the room, letting my eyes range over the other patrons. I'd been hoping that KEM would send someone I'd recognized, but I couldn't place any of the humans. If I'd ever seen them before, it certainly hadn't been during any cooperation with KEM.

I got up, dropping my pen down across the papers that I'd spread across the table. It was a nonchalant movement, utterly casual. I stalked off to the restroom with the natural assurance of an Ultra, entirely convinced that no one would mess with my property while I was gone.

The trick of it was, no one would. While I was doing my business my contact wasn't going to steal the papers, or do anything similarly blatant. They would use a mystical relic of a bygone age.

To wit, a simple cell phone, and its associated camera.

While I was gone someone would walk on by, holding a small black rectangle under the bottom of a book or a plate, recording the contents of the target dossier, and also all of the marks that I'd made.

They'd looked meaningless, of course, but their number and placement should convey my message. It was, roughly, 'kill this person, on the 27th or as soon after as you can."

There was no sign of a disturbance when I returned to my booth. No sign that anything had transpired. Nothing for Snitcher to become suspicious of, but if all had gone as planned I'd just killed Merlin and insured my ultimate victory.

*************************************************************************************

Relax and Recuperate:

It was an odd coincidence that had saved the Shington museum from the fate of so many other buildings.

It had been closed for renovations during the takeover proper, and quickly occupied by transition authorities immediately after the surrender. Fear of the Regime had kept it from looting and desecration, but it had remained outside of the Layer's inner workings, never meaningfully occupied by anyone in Her Inner Circle.

There had been minor damage, of course. The sort of thing that happened to buildings left to seed in a fallen age, but nothing calamitous. The most famous paintings had been stolen, the exhibits that glorified the old world had been smashed, but the majority of the Museum had simply been left to rot.

Its first real use in the modern age was as a meeting place and illicit shelter, a convenient harbor for humans who lacked the powerful patrons necessary to live in the city and also the ruthlessness and cunning needful to survive outside.

That hadn't lasted, of course, but the Ultras who'd removed them had been gentle, had appreciated, on some level, the unspoiled nature of the place. They'd told their friends, and it had become a bit of a hangout spot for the city's Ultras.

It had always appealed to me. Relics of the old world always did, but this one was special. The works of artists, the discoveries of scientists…it was like a celebration of all that had once been, all that we could no longer accomplish.

I walked within it, letting my eyes drift from object to object, from wall to wall. I had no real objective, no greater purpose here. I had come simply to remind myself of what I am, of who I am.

I stop before one particular exhibit. A simple plaque remains, describing a particular particle collider. We'd spun it up in order to get insight into the true nature of reality, in order to see deeper into the fabric of what was.

The plaque was just as it always was, but the stuff behind it had been wrecked. The colored balls that had been used to teach children about the fundamentals of their world had been rearranged into a facsimile of genitalia. The different color glass panes that visitors had peered through had been broken and shattered. The plaque stood before pointless ruin and devastation.

This was a special place to me. Snitcher would never get it. He'd see only a Warlord staring at one of the Regime's conquests. But that wasn't what I saw. The Regime's power, its destruction and ravaging, was only skin deep.

They'd broken the exhibit, they'd trashed a child's lesson. But the truth remained. The particles that were described hadn't been touched. The Ultras, Her, this whole nightmare, we were a passing affliction. When the last monster had been killed there would still be particles, still be children to learn about them.

I left revitalized, my inner fires banked and my strength restored.

*************************************************************************************

Debrief Posse:

"Everything worked out today?" I asked, not with any real expectation of contradiction.

Owner's gift could be finnicky, certainly, but this seemed like it was right up her alley, and Builder's task wasn't exactly brain surgery either.

Instead they looked uneasily to one another for a moment.

I looked back and forth between them, letting the silence linger.

Finally Owner broke up.

"Yeah…probably," she said.

"Probably?" I asked.

"I also said 'yeah'," she pointed out. "Why do you always get hung up on the small stuff?"

I clenched my lips and stared holes in her.

"We are about to put our lives on the line," I told her, underlining each word. "We could die in a week. Do you understand that? The whole story of your life, it might just up and end if we don't do our very best. And you are giving me 'probably'?"

"I think I bought it!" she insisted. "I'm pretty sure it is in my inventory, but I forgot to get it delivered anywhere, so it hasn't showed up in our world yet. Its an easy fix, I can get it delivered tomorrow!"

I didn't bother to tell her that I'd had other plans for her tomorrow. Instead I looked over at Builder.

"I suppose that with no material to hand you pretty much wasted the day?" I asked, my tone defeated.

"Huh?" she said, "No, I just found some fireproof stuff at the old fire station and used that. Nobody ever bothered to scavenge up everything in there, just the intact stuff. I didn't have any trouble finding material to use when the time came to learn the pattern."

I grinned. It was nice to remember that surprises could be pleasant just as easily as they could be dangerous.

"How'd Smasher do?" I asked Owner, trying to take back some of my earlier harshness by putting the conversation back on a casual level.

She brightened immediately.

"She did great," she said. "Or at least that's what she claimed. Said the survivors would think twice before they disobeyed us."

I winced.

"How many-"

"Only one!" broke in Builder. "I get that that's one too many, but she said it was the only way to make them understand. She killed the one that she thought was most responsible for what happened earlier."

I ground my teeth together, but said nothing.

*************************************************************************************

The Plan:

– We should attack on the 28th. We shouldn't tell anyone about this until about the 25th. This will throw a spanner in the works of any trap they're planning that requires that they have an idea of when we're coming.

– If we head over on the 30th, we can expect to 'coincidentally' meet a Union patrol partway there who will inflict some damage on us. We should prepare for this possibility, even at our earlier date.

"I like the idea of attacking at a different date from when I tell the troops that we will. I'm concerned that they may be able to get a signal to King Arthur and his Union buds after we tell them on the 25th. Maybe I should tell them the night before, or just the day of?"

– Merlin's invisible troops are, of course, invisible. They are also carrying Knight equipment. Picker's assassins carried Knight equipment. Hmmm. But what the Knights are asking for in exchange for the use of their equipment is morally completely reprehensible. I can't countenance that, and would lose my Resistance contact if I did. (I would deserve to lose my Resistance contact if I did that. I would be truly a monster.)

"Yes, very true. I don't want to work with Refiner and his pets any more than I have to."

– I need to bear in mind that Merlin and Arthur might have empowered the same people. That is to say, some of Merlin's invisible assassins might have Ultra Strength, or Speed, or Toughness. They're already hitting above their weight – on top of that, they may actually have some weight to hit on top of.

"Very worrying possibility."

– Another option for dealing with Merlin is to take advantage of KEM. I know where she lives, what she can do and who she cares for; leaving that report on Merlin in the right place should be enough to get her killed outright. However, I shouldn't use KEM on more than one person. Merlin is a greater threat than Guinevere.

"This is a good idea. I tried to have KEM kill Merlin once already, hopefully there will be enough time to try again. I really don't think I can win the fight if they have invisible warriors."

– Third option – use Owner to demolish Merlin's house in the middle of the night (buying and demolishing the property).

"I'd rather use KEM, but this might be a 'why not both'? situation."

– Fourth option – take advantage of Builder's stuff-stretching ability to ensure that our confrontation happens in an ankle-deep flood. Even invisible people can be seen walking through ankle-deep water – if nothing else, by the foot-shaped hollows in the water.

"I guess it couldn't hurt, but when I remember my past fights and try and imagine looking at the ground constantly to see if footprints are getting closer my immediate reaction is that the person I'm fighting would take that opportunity to hit me. We'll try this in the worst case scenario, but I'm dubious."

– Guinevere is easily handled. I need merely imbue my Posse with fireproof; after that, Smasher can take her out easily. (Ankle-deep water should mess with her, too, by extinguishing a lot of fires).

"My ability doesn't really work that way, but I can see how I forgot that for a sec. (out of character, this is a CCC plan, and the clarifications were on the board, not the blog). My gift adjusts people's 'metadata', a set of 3-4 keywords that define them. Adding one in, like 'fireproof' risks the possibility that the one that falls off will be something like 'sane', or 'mobile'. I got lucky with Grower and Builder. If I tried the same thing on 50 people I wouldn't have fifty fireproof people when I was done, or 50 living people."

– Lancelot and Arthur are unlikely to be trouble in the final confrontation.

– That giant Union tank, on the other hand, is a problem (and not a small one). But Builder should be able to deal with it; her power works at any range. She can close off any gun barrels by extending the barrel material _inwards_, she can mess up the engine by making the internals just grow crazy spikes everywhere, and so on. Once she can see it, she can ruin it utterly – and probably without even leaving any external sign of her sabotage, so it can all be blamed on the Union being idiots.

"Builder can wreck it very fast as soon as she can see it, though she can't grow stuff on the internals unless she can see into it. But adding stuff to the outside where she can see it will rapidly render the tank unusable. I like this idea."

– If the Ar Harbour team don't want to come out and fight, we can draw them out by taking hostages. from the people they care for. This strategy is unpleasant and distasteful, but it will work, and will draw them away from buildings. Moreover, I don't actually need to permanently harm the hostages, not if I'm threatening enough.

"It sounds like I am allowed to wreck the place as long as we fix it, and I'm also really not loving the idea of taking hostages."

*************************************************************************************


Day 24:

Days remaining: 7

AP available: (6 at end of day + 1 for 6 hours sleep) = 7/10

Non AP Action: Swap in a new plan. You write in a new plan, I'll give you Mia's assessment of it. If you don't do this then the existing one will be executed. The plan that is in force when its execution date arrives will be used for the actual battle, though there may be mid battle votes that could alter it in process.

Prestige: 3

Timeslots available: 2, morning and afternoon

Builder Timeslot Available: afternoon

Owner Timeslot Available: afternoon

Smasher : Timeslot Available: morning

Posse: 3 or 3 out of 3 slots filled

Force size: 45

Condition: Healthy

(Ultra format: Role, Ultra Strength/Speed/Toughness, other gift description)

Posse:

Builder — 0/0/0, a woman who can alter objects for miles around into other things, blessed with a 'Bulletproof' blend

Owner – housemate, 0/0/1 operates an imaginary firm, with real effects on the world,

Smasher — 3/0/1, a woman who is billed as the strongest Ultra fighter of all time

Ultra Allies:

Maker- Friend, and protégé of Snitcher, 0/0/1, can summon the spirit of things

Clawer – Ultra fighter 2/0/1, melee combatant, deadly hooks for hands

Stopper – partner of Clawer, 0/0/0, steals form's velocity by looking at them

Sticker – Did dentistry for her brother, 0/0/2, Creates slime, can choose its stickiness

Grower – 0/*0/1, an outside Ultra I sponsored into the Lair, has a bullet blend from me, can rapidly increase the size and mass of objects

Joker — 0/2/0, a woman who can change what other people/herself look like

Replayer — 1/2/0, she can 'step back in time' to undo damage that she takes

Ultra Enemies:

Masher- Enemy, and fellow protégé of Subtracter, 3*/0/3*, trades off strength and durability as she moves or stays still

Picker – First Fist protégé, 0/1/0, 'selects the outcome of things'

Ultra Acquaintances:

Tracker – Running buddy, 1/0/1, Creates tracks, and can move things on them

Shower – Adder's protégé, 1*/0/1*, gains strength and durability from witnesses

Echoer – Singer I am a fan of, 1/1/1, can duplicate any action that she sees

Bubbler – Operates Ultra clinic 0/0/?, traps things in bubbles that heal and move them

Sucker — Ultra entertainer, ?/?/?, pulls objects/people towards her at incredible rate

Gunner — 0/0/1, she shoots tracking Ultra Blasts at roughly Ultra Strength One

Chiller — 1/0/1, can freeze any object she touches, leaving them brittle and easily broken

Cutter — 1/1/1, she is a brutal front line combatant

Swimmer — 1/0/1, she can 'swim' through solid surfaces

Burner — 0/0/1, she can summon Ultra fire from anywhere that she can see

Maxxer — 0/0/0, she can augment the gifts of other Ultras, pushing their gifts

Puncher — 1/0/1, her strength and speed both go up when she repeats her movements


Actions:

[ ] Accept Refiner's Bargain (Timeslot cost: 0, AP cost 4, auto succeed)

Motive: His blessed weapons and armor would be a massive force multiplier for our group. He might also send along Knight backup. He would be a powerful additional patron.

Concerns: I would be responsible for a massacre in the immediate aftermath, or be killed by Second Fist if I backed out. Subtracter would also likely perceive this alliance as an attempt at weaseling out from under her command, so I'd have to tread very carefully to avoid offending her.


[ ] Seek Transportation

-[ ] Scavenge (Timeslot cost: 2; AP cost 4, refunds 3 on success)

Motive: My current transportation sufficed for me in my troubleshooter role, but I will likely require a larger vehicle, or several vehicles, in order to bring everyone to Ar Harbor. I can seek to find something in the suburbs and surrounding towns.

Concerns: Leaving Shington could be dangerous, and I am far from guaranteed to find a bus or truck suitable to my needs, as the area has already been heavily scavenged.

-[ ] Trade with existing owners (Timeslot cost: 1; AP cost 2, refunds 1 on success)

Motive: As above, but instead of fixing up ruined vehicles I'll negotiate to get them from their current owners.

Concerns: Snitcher may disapprove of a warlord being civil

-[ ] Seize by force (Timeslot cost: 2; AP cost 4, refunds 3 on success)

Motive: As above, but instead of asking my contacts for vehicles I'll just take what I want. My role as warlord and my Tally should minimize resistance

Concerns: People like their vehicles, and won't like the one who takes them. I will make enemies.

-[ ] Seek Transportation [Adder + Company] (Timeslot cost: 1; AP cost 2, refunds 1 on success)

Motive: As above, but Adder can use his gift to make something for my purposes, and the Company can duplicate it and make it permanent.

Concerns: Adder and I are not close, he may decline to aid me, owing to his rivalry with my sponsor, Subtracter.


[ ] Seek Target Information

-[ ] Company (Timeslot cost: 1; AP cost 2, refunds 1 on success)

Motive: The Company logs every Ultra they create. Their Ar Harbor records would be useful information

Concerns: Ultras migrate and conceal their gifts, this information would be incomplete

-[ ] Subtracter (Timeslot cost: 1; AP cost 3, refunds 1 on success)

Motive: Subtracter is the military leader of the Regime, she will have information on this target

Concerns: Subtracter is stupid and violent, I don't like to be around her

-[ ] Survivors (Timeslot cost:1; AP cost 2, refunds 1 on success)

Motive: There have been 2 other attempts at Ar Harbor. I can seek out and question survivors in the outer city.

Concerns: I may be unable to find any survivors, and I may be misled by liars.


[ ] Seek Posse Members

-[ ] wander & gossip, (Timeslot cost: 1; AP cost 1, refunds 1 on success)

Motive: There are dozens of powerful Ultras in the Lair. I know only the barest fraction of them. I can learn the basics on 1-6 of them in a few hours of socializing and gossiping, opening up in depth investigation options on them and adding them to my list of acquaintances.

Concerns: None

-[ ] At Ultra Fights, (Timeslot cost: 1; AP cost 1, refunds 1 on success)

Constraint: Only available in the afternoon or night on days divisible by 4 (day 4, 8, etc)

Motive: There are dozens of powerful Ultras in the Lair. I know only the barest fraction of them. I can learn the basics on 3-12 of them in a few hours of socializing and gossiping at this kind of event.

Concerns: Ultras associated with the Fights are more likely than most to be melee combatants.


[ ] Seek Warband Members

-[ ] At the Yard, (Timeslot cost: 1; AP cost 2, refunds 1 on success)

Motive: The Lair is surrounded by hundreds of Regime Ultras. The strongest come to the Yard to show their power and appeal to those like me, who would give them purpose. I should be able to gather between 5 and 20 Ultras of such caliber.

Concerns: I will need to provide housing and direction to these Ultras, or risk them wandering off. I can expect to spend at least an action a day on them, and training them might well eat up more. Ideally a Posse member will be tasked with this.

-[ ] [Gang name] From a Gang, (Timeslot cost: 2; AP cost 5, refunds 3 on success)

Motive: The Ultras that surround Shington are organized into Gangs dozens strong. If I can recruit such a force I might have my whole Warband right there.

Concerns: These Ultras likely already have patrons in the Lair, who I would need to negotiate with. Their leader would also likely want a place in my Posse, and she would be the primary locus of their loyalty until I'd had time to win them over.


[ ] Investigate Acquaintance:

-[ ] [Name], (Timeslot cost: 1; AP cost 2, refunds 1 on success, 2 if we become allies)

Motive: I can spend some serious one on one time with an Ultra I've chosen, evaluating the capability of their gift, the alignment of their values with mine, and their basic competence. If all checks out, I might move them into my Ultra Allies column.

Concerns: None


[ ] Invite Ally into Posse:

-[ ] [Name], (Timeslot cost: 1; AP cost 3, refunds 3 on success)

Motive: If I want to bring an ally into my posse, get them to take actions on my behalf and rise or fall with me, this is the way to do it. I will only take this action on those I've already made allies, and once this has been taken it is difficult to undo.

Concerns: Posse members are most of the way into my circle of trust, and will operate on my behalf, representing me to stranger. A mistake here would be dangerous and damaging. I should be careful before taking this step, potentially investigating a prospect several times.


[ ] Seek Information on Snitcher's patterns

-[ ] Passive listening (Timeslot cost: 1; AP cost 1, refunds 1 on success)

Motive: Snitcher can ride my senses at any moment, and bring Her along. If I am ever to contact my KEM allies, my resistance allies, or show any kindness or weakness whatsoever, I need to understand when this is likely to take place. Gossip can hint at this, particularly if I carefully steer conversations. This action would be mostly undetectable, even if he was riding me when I took it.

Concerns: None

-[ ] Active interrogation of Snitches (Timeslot cost: 1; AP cost 3, refunds 2 on success)

Motive: As above, but rather than listen for random gossip I will seek out other linked individuals and directly ask them how often he rides their senses, and what actions he has reacted to in the past.

Concerns: More likely Snitcher notices this, unknown consequences of that.

-[ ] Confront Snitcher Directly (Timeslot cost:1; AP cost 4, refunds 3 on success)

Motive: As above, but take the simplest possible route. Go to Snitcher and ask him for the deal.

Concerns: I am sponsored by Subtracter, not Snitcher, he may not wish to aid me. He may demand favors or other services in exchange for the information.


[ ] Seek Information on Regime military operations

-[ ] Ask Subtracter (Timeslot cost: 1; AP cost 3, refunds 1 on success)

Motive: My life depends on doing this right. I need to get a basic understanding of what She is expecting from my attack on Ar Harbor. Do I need to seize the Company Facility? Kill all the enemies? Are there any constraints on how I go about it? Subtracter is the leader of the Regime's military, and my sponsor, she will know these answers.

Concerns: Subtracter is stupid and brutal, and she killed my neighbors, I hate spending time with her.

-[ ] Ask Around (Timeslot cost: 1; AP cost 2, refunds 1 on success)

Motive: As above, but ask survivors of previous missions instead of my evil boss.

Concerns: My predecessors may not have told them everything, their views of their missions may omit certain command level details that I need to worry about.


[ ] Relax and Recuperate

-[ ] By visiting Blisser (Timeslot cost: X (slots spent until AP reaches max), AP cost 0, returns 3 per time period. DANGER, this action may cause addiction)

-[ ]By lounging around, (Timeslot cost: 1, AP cost 0, refunds 1 on success)

Motive: I could do with some rest.

Concerns: None

-[ ]By patronizing entertainment areas (Timeslot cost: 1, AP cost 1, refunds 3 on success)

Motive: I could do with some rest, and I might learn some things by socializing

Concerns: None

-[ ]By using my gift to repair the city (Timeslot cost: 1, AP cost 2, refunds 5 on success)

Motive: It needs to be done.

Concerns: This is not becoming behavior of a warlord, Snitcher may take notice, and people may talk

-[ ]By using my gift to heal people (Timeslot cost: 1, AP cost 1, refunds 5 on success)

Motive: This is why I have my gift.

Concerns: This is not becoming behavior of a warlord, Snitcher may take notice, and people may talk


[ ] Organize Armory [Timeslot cost: 1, AP cost 2, returns 2 on success)

Motive: I carry, in my backpack and on my person, various items to blend with if the need arises. I am overdue to look through my setup and take an inventory, once that is done I could seek out new objects if I am missing anything useful.


Concerns: None


[ ] Action: Direct the Warband (Timeslot cost 0, AP cost 1, returns 1 if successful)

Motive: If I need to set my warband in motion, give them a project or whatever, it is as simple as telling them to jump. My will is their command.

-[ ] Let [Posse Member] Supervise, takes up the Posse Member's action, modifies success chance based on which Posse member it is, and which action


[ ] Action: Train the Warband (Timeslot cost 0, AP cost 1, returns 1 if successful) [Requires a timeslot from the teacher, who should probably be an Ultra combatant]

Motive: Yard Ultras are fierce, but undisciplined. They are warriors, not soldiers. I can get better outcomes if I teach them some basics.

-[ ] In Ultra Combat (Gives bonuses on their battle rolls)

-[ ] In anti firearm maneuvers (Makes them suffer less casualties under fire)

-[ ] In obedience (makes them more likely to obey my orders)


[ ] Action: Other (Timeslot cost: x, returns x if successful)


KEM Actions:

[ ] Assign Assassination mission [Timeslot cost 1, AP cost 3, returns 1 on success, can only be done in the morning, uncertain Snitcher risk]


Description: KEM are the only humans who fight back on a consistent, day to day basis. We've come up together, they and I, and pointing them at my foes is only common sense. If I give them a target, then I trust them to make a good faith effort to put that Ultra down. Their odds of success, of course, vary wildly depending on how much info I can provide, and the gifts of the Ultra in question.


Resistance Actions:

[ ] Assign Information Gathering Mission [Timeslot cost 1, AP cost 2, returns 1 on success, can only be done in the morning, uncertain Snitcher risk]

Description: The humans are the ocean in which the Ultras swim, the saying goes. The Resistance's capacity to gather information about Ultras is unsurpassed. If I give them a target, then they will give me every bit of public information on the target, and often times a little bit more. Ultras are people, after all. I believe this with all my heart. And people trust other people, even those that they ultimately shouldn't. I can assign as many targets as I wish, but the more I assign the less details I will probably get, and the longer it might take.


[ ] Debrief Information Gathering Mission [Timeslot cost 1, AP cost 0, returns 1 on success, can only be done in the morning, uncertain Snitcher risk]

Description: The information that the Resistance gathers is worthless if I never regain it. Using protocols I've worked out ahead of time, and my recent discovery of Snitcher's habits, it should be possible for me to take the Resistance's reports with minimal risk. I expect I should give them a day or two for local targets, and possibly as much as four for targets in Ar Harbor or further afield.

Smasher Actions:

[ ] Recuperate [Timeslot cost All]

Description: Smasher hangs on the edge of death. Her body and gift will try to knit her back together each day.


Owner Actions:

[ ] Acquire Funds [Timeslot cost 1]

Description: Owner takes action to get more and more valuable assets within our world, increasing her overall funding, hopefully permitting her gift's actions to be swifter and larger in impact. (Requires Write In clarification on how to do this)

[ ] Change Company [ Timeslot cost 1]

Description: Owner presently runs a package store, located in downtown Washington. She has, as near as I can estimate, a low six figures saved up. With this action I can direct her to acquire licenses, expand locations, purchase other businesses, or perform similar deeds, all based around changing the operation and activities of her imaginary franchise. (Requires Write In clarification on how to do this)

[ ] Company Action [ Timeslot cost 2]

Description: This is a catchall action for anything I might think of that could let Owner impact the main battle in Ar Harbor. Buying up local real estate and demolishing it on a certain date seems like the obvious course of action, but there are a lot of other fringe ideas that I've been entertaining. [Requires Write In clarification on how to do this. The first Action spent on this is about Owner doing tests to make sure this effort will work, the second actually kicks off whatever changes I want in the imaginary world.]

Builder Actions:

[ ] Repair Structure [Timeslot cost 1]

Description: Builder can repair most any structure any structure in just a few hours, spreading broken portions back into place and generating new matter as needed.


[ ] Construct Known Structure [ Timeslot cost 1]


Description: Builder can construct any easily described structure with the same ease that she repairs them. Her present education limits this to extremely primitive structures, but that might well be changeable.


[ ] Construct Known Items [Timeslot cost 1]


Description: Builder's gits aren't limited to buildings. If she can get a perfect understanding of an objects, and samples for every component, then she can form any items that I might desire. The easiest way to accomplish this, of course, would be to provide her with a sample.


[ ] Memorize Patterns [ Timeslot cost 1]


Description: Builder's gifts are heavily limited by her imperfect education. The more patterns I can get her to learn, the more she can construct from any given material. If I provide her with patterns or specimens I'm pretty sure she can memorize them and add them to her arsenal.
 
Turn 23
Results from Previous round votes:

1 Vote plan TalonOfAnathrax (wins tiebreaker roll….again)

1 Vote plan CCC

*************************************************************************************

Winning Plan:

Plan:

[X] Compromise plan

- [X] Seek Information on Snitcher's Patterns : Active interrogation of Snitches (Timeslot cost: 1; AP cost 3, refunds 2 on success)

- [X] Relax and Recuperate by visiting entertainment areas (with Owner)

- [X] Smasher : Train the warband in obedience

- [X] Owner : R&R

- [X] Builder : Experiment with turning a (reasonably unconfined) puddle of liquid into a veritable flood. Then having parts of the flood burst up in splashes.

Day 24 Log :

7 AP at start of day (6 at end of last day +1 for half night's sleep)

-3 Seek info on Snitcher's patterns (4 AP)

Roll 7, +0 for failure (4 AP)

-1 Relax and Recuperate (entertainment) (3 AP)

Roll 5, +3 for success (6 AP)

Builder Experiment with water

Roll 5, failure

Smasher: Train the Warband

Roll 10, Crit success

End of day, 6 AP

*************************************************************************************

Seek info from Snitches:

I hadn't thought this through all that well.

In my mind, this had been a simple plan. Snitcher had a number of known snitches, gorgeous girls whose morning endeavors were what I was relying on to keep him distracted. They should know, if anyone did, some stuff about how he generally operated.

The problem came in getting them to talk about it. I'd originally been planning to go the eavesdrop route, just kind of idle nearby while they talked to one another and hope that the conversation would get around to their ever present voyeur.

But I had underestimated their celebrity, and what it would do to their behavior. Girls chosen for their beauty, powerless but shielded by a mighty patron, of course they would be people of interest, fascination even. I was far from the only Ultra who'd decided to stalk them today.

Their booth formed the center of an invisible ring, the tables immediately around conspicuously more occupied than the remainder of the Company Facility. I'd taken my place in the ring, sent for food and settled in to eavesdrop.

The problem was simple. They knew they were being overheard. They were performing, self consciously selecting every word that passed their lips, every gesture that they made.

I didn't envy them. They would have no notion of privacy, no second that was wholly their own. Leered at by those around them, their own senses spied upon, it must have been a miserable existence.

But one thing it did breed was discretion.

I listened for a few hours, enduring triviality after triviality. They spoke of nothing of import, nothing whatsoever that might matter. Their talk was entirely banal, an endless procession of nothings, seemingly calculated to encourage the appetites of their observers.

Eventually a cringing pimp made their way over to me, asking on Snitcher's behalf if I'd come to engage the services of his girls. I told him I'd mull it over and departed, still annoyed about the wasted time.

*************************************************************************************

Relax and Recuperate (with Owner):

"This is stupid," I told her.

Owner just gave me a smug grin in response, gesturing back to the impromptu racetrack.

A trio of Ultras were waiting for us. Grower, Maker and Clawer. They'd scratched out a flat circle in front of our house, casually blocking traffic in order to mark out a disk approximately ten feet across.

"Did you encourage her?" I asked, suspiciously.

"Nope," said Grower. "This was all Owner's doing. She's talked up your boy something big."

I grimaced, looking down at the things they held in their hands.

Maker and Grower had both brought puppies, or really small dogs. They hung docilely in their hands, looking without great interest at the world around them.

Clawer had a fox, which was struggling wildly in the hands of his human attendant, scratching him unmercifully.

"You think he'll stick to the track?" I asked him.

He gave a me a shit eating grin, before tapping one of his claws against the other.

I could probably count that out. It would be miracle if it was even visible to us a second after he let it go.

"We got this," whispered Owner.

I looked back to her, frowning. I had to admit, the competition didn't exactly look stellar. But there was one thing holding us back.

"You remember," I told her carefully, "That Napoleon is a turtle?"

She frowned in response, putting a finger to either side of his head.

"Don't listen to Blender," she cautioned the tiny shell creature, "She's not YOUR Warlord."

I glared helplessly, though the others seemed to find that hilarious.

"Alright," said Owner, ignoring my vast dissatisfaction, "Terms are simple. If you win, I'll forgive your tabs at my place. When we win, you owe us a favor. Everyone ok with that?"

Nods all around, though I didn't bother, throwing up my hands instead.

They set up their racers, holding each one in place at what they'd just decided was the track's 'start', and Owner started counting down.

"Hold on, hold on," I said.

They looked over.

"You don't even have a finish line marked out!" I pointed out. "How are you going to know which one wins?"

"I thought you weren't interested?" asked Owner artlessly, "that you didn't have any faith in our little guy here?"

"I'm, I mean…" I temporized, trying to figure out just the right way to make her understand.

"You really think it'll be close enough to need a finish line?" asked Grower, dubiously.

I didn't, not really, but it was the principle of the thing. They should be prepared for the eventuality, just in case. Not even setting one up ahead of time was just asking for a dispute after the fact.

"I'm just saying…" I said, and it was clear that I'd lost all control of this situation.

When all was said and done, Owner'd forgiven all of their tabs, Grower owed her a favor, I somehow owed her a favor, and I'd laughed more than I had since I took the Process.

*************************************************************************************

Debrief Posse:

I looked around the room carefully, one more time, reluctant to credit the evidence of my eyes.

Owner was there, conspiratorially feeding Napoleon some kind of race fixing celebratory leaf.

Builder was there, lounging alongside her on their bed, wistfully eyeing a beer can as though doing so would fill it back up.

And Smasher was indisputably there, sitting at my desk and looking out over the room with a serene expression on her face.

"Alright, so I know how Owner spent her day," I began, "But I guess I still need to know how things went for you all."

I carefully avoided the phrase 'report', and would continue to do so until I figured out Smasher's mood. Something was definitely going on there, and it wouldn't do to set her off somehow.

"I couldn't really think of anything new to try," confessed Builder. "I did mostly the same tests, got mostly the same results. I add water like I add anything else, about a body's worth of person at a time, expanding at a slow walking pace."

"Like she leaves water behind her," clarified Smasher, "Except it is not behind her and it doesn't have to be water."

Well, 'clarified' might have been a stretch.

"You couldn't create great torrents?" I pressed.

She leaned her head to one side, widened her lips a bit in an 'eh' gesture.

"Not really," she said. "It makes a bit of a puddle, right enough, and I can put more of it in any given place that I can see, but that's about it. If there's something transparent I can pop it, like those bottles and stuff."

I gave a gruff nod. I'd been worried about that, but it wasn't entirely useless.

Nothing about her gift prevented her from making a lot of water, it was just that it would take a lot of time, maybe more than was practical during a fight. Perhaps if I set it up ahead of time…

Smasher interrupted my musings.

"My stuff went great," she said, unprompted.

"Oh?" I asked. "You got the warband trained in obedience?"

She looked confused for a bit.

"Oh, yeah, that," she said, which wasn't super encouraging.

"Yeah, I've had that for a while now. The big breakthrough today was that they all got together and talked to me, really let me know how concerned they were for me."

What?

There were actually tears in the corner of her eyes as she proceeded.

"They've come to care about me, they said, and they'd hate for my habits to get the better of me. They are going to work with me, help me stay sober! I'm taking back my life."

I gave a weak grin.

"That's wonderful," I said.

"It must have been hard for you," she went on, "Having to watch me take all those pills, all those drinks. But no more!"

I kept my grin in place by sheer force of will.

"I'm ready to be the best Ultra I can be. The Regime, and our girls, deserve no less!"

Fantastic.


*************************************************************************************

The Plan:

– We should attack on the 28th. We shouldn't tell anyone about this until about the 25th. This will throw a spanner in the works of any trap they're planning that requires that they have an idea of when we're coming.

– If we head over on the 30th, we can expect to 'coincidentally' meet a Union patrol partway there who will inflict some damage on us. We should prepare for this possibility, even at our earlier date.

"I like the idea of attacking at a different date from when I tell the troops that we will. I'm concerned that they may be able to get a signal to King Arthur and his Union buds after we tell them on the 25th. Maybe I should tell them the night before, or just the day of?"

– Merlin's invisible troops are, of course, invisible. They are also carrying Knight equipment. Picker's assassins carried Knight equipment. Hmmm. But what the Knights are asking for in exchange for the use of their equipment is morally completely reprehensible. I can't countenance that, and would lose my Resistance contact if I did. (I would deserve to lose my Resistance contact if I did that. I would be truly a monster.)

"Yes, very true. I don't want to work with Refiner and his pets any more than I have to."

– I need to bear in mind that Merlin and Arthur might have empowered the same people. That is to say, some of Merlin's invisible assassins might have Ultra Strength, or Speed, or Toughness. They're already hitting above their weight – on top of that, they may actually have some weight to hit on top of.

"Very worrying possibility."

– Another option for dealing with Merlin is to take advantage of KEM. I know where she lives, what she can do and who she cares for; leaving that report on Merlin in the right place should be enough to get her killed outright. However, I shouldn't use KEM on more than one person. Merlin is a greater threat than Guinevere.

"This is a good idea. I tried to have KEM kill Merlin once already, hopefully there will be enough time to try again. I really don't think I can win the fight if they have invisible warriors."

– Third option – use Owner to demolish Merlin's house in the middle of the night (buying and demolishing the property).

"I'd rather use KEM, but this might be a 'why not both'? situation."

– Fourth option – take advantage of Builder's stuff-stretching ability to ensure that our confrontation happens in an ankle-deep flood. Even invisible people can be seen walking through ankle-deep water – if nothing else, by the foot-shaped hollows in the water.

"I guess it couldn't hurt, but when I remember my past fights and try and imagine looking at the ground constantly to see if footprints are getting closer my immediate reaction is that the person I'm fighting would take that opportunity to hit me. We'll try this in the worst case scenario, but I'm dubious."

– Guinevere is easily handled. I need merely imbue my Posse with fireproof; after that, Smasher can take her out easily. (Ankle-deep water should mess with her, too, by extinguishing a lot of fires).

"My ability doesn't really work that way, but I can see how I forgot that for a sec. (out of character, this is a CCC plan, and the clarifications were on the board, not the blog). My gift adjusts people's 'metadata', a set of 3-4 keywords that define them. Adding one in, like 'fireproof' risks the possibility that the one that falls off will be something like 'sane', or 'mobile'. I got lucky with Grower and Builder. If I tried the same thing on 50 people I wouldn't have fifty fireproof people when I was done, or 50 living people."

– Lancelot and Arthur are unlikely to be trouble in the final confrontation.

– That giant Union tank, on the other hand, is a problem (and not a small one). But Builder should be able to deal with it; her power works at any range. She can close off any gun barrels by extending the barrel material _inwards_, she can mess up the engine by making the internals just grow crazy spikes everywhere, and so on. Once she can see it, she can ruin it utterly – and probably without even leaving any external sign of her sabotage, so it can all be blamed on the Union being idiots.

"Builder can wreck it very fast as soon as she can see it, though she can't grow stuff on the internals unless she can see into it. But adding stuff to the outside where she can see it will rapidly render the tank unusable. I like this idea."

– If the Ar Harbour team don't want to come out and fight, we can draw them out by taking hostages. from the people they care for. This strategy is unpleasant and distasteful, but it will work, and will draw them away from buildings. Moreover, I don't actually need to permanently harm the hostages, not if I'm threatening enough.

"It sounds like I am allowed to wreck the place as long as we fix it, and I'm also really not loving the idea of taking hostages."

*************************************************************************************


Day 25:

Days remaining: 6

AP available: (6 at end of day + 1 for 6 hours sleep) = 7/10

Non AP Action: Swap in a new plan. You write in a new plan, I'll give you Mia's assessment of it. If you don't do this then the existing one will be executed. The plan that is in force when its execution date arrives will be used for the actual battle, though there may be mid battle votes that could alter it in process.

Walter Note: I'm leaving up Mia's assessment from last round since the plan was not changed this round

Walter extra Note: If you do not change the plan this round you will tell your Posse today (the 25th) about moving the attack to the 28th.

Prestige: 3

Timeslots available: 2, morning and afternoon

Builder Timeslot Available: afternoon

Owner Timeslot Available: afternoon

Smasher : Timeslot Available: morning or afternoon, but not both

Posse: 3 or 3 out of 3 slots filled

Force size: 45

Condition: Healthy

(Ultra format: Role, Ultra Strength/Speed/Toughness, other gift description)

Posse:

Builder — 0/0/0, a woman who can alter objects for miles around into other things, blessed with a 'Bulletproof' blend

Owner – housemate, 0/0/1 operates an imaginary firm, with real effects on the world,

Smasher — 3/0/1, a woman who is billed as the strongest Ultra fighter of all time

Ultra Allies:

Maker- Friend, and protégé of Snitcher, 0/0/1, can summon the spirit of things

Clawer – Ultra fighter 2/0/1, melee combatant, deadly hooks for hands

Stopper – partner of Clawer, 0/0/0, steals form's velocity by looking at them

Sticker – Did dentistry for her brother, 0/0/2, Creates slime, can choose its stickiness

Grower – 0/*0/1, an outside Ultra I sponsored into the Lair, has a bullet blend from me, can rapidly increase the size and mass of objects

Joker — 0/2/0, a woman who can change what other people/herself look like

Replayer — 1/2/0, she can 'step back in time' to undo damage that she takes

Ultra Enemies:

Masher- Enemy, and fellow protégé of Subtracter, 3*/0/3*, trades off strength and durability as she moves or stays still

Picker – First Fist protégé, 0/1/0, 'selects the outcome of things'

Ultra Acquaintances:

Tracker – Running buddy, 1/0/1, Creates tracks, and can move things on them

Shower – Adder's protégé, 1*/0/1*, gains strength and durability from witnesses

Echoer – Singer I am a fan of, 1/1/1, can duplicate any action that she sees

Bubbler – Operates Ultra clinic 0/0/?, traps things in bubbles that heal and move them

Sucker — Ultra entertainer, ?/?/?, pulls objects/people towards her at incredible rate

Gunner — 0/0/1, she shoots tracking Ultra Blasts at roughly Ultra Strength One

Chiller — 1/0/1, can freeze any object she touches, leaving them brittle and easily broken

Cutter — 1/1/1, she is a brutal front line combatant

Swimmer — 1/0/1, she can 'swim' through solid surfaces

Burner — 0/0/1, she can summon Ultra fire from anywhere that she can see

Maxxer — 0/0/0, she can augment the gifts of other Ultras, pushing their gifts

Puncher — 1/0/1, her strength and speed both go up when she repeats her movements


Actions:

[ ] Accept Refiner's Bargain (Timeslot cost: 0, AP cost 4, auto succeed)

Motive: His blessed weapons and armor would be a massive force multiplier for our group. He might also send along Knight backup. He would be a powerful additional patron.

Concerns: I would be responsible for a massacre in the immediate aftermath, or be killed by Second Fist if I backed out. Subtracter would also likely perceive this alliance as an attempt at weaseling out from under her command, so I'd have to tread very carefully to avoid offending her.


[ ] Seek Transportation

-[ ] Scavenge (Timeslot cost: 2; AP cost 4, refunds 3 on success)

Motive: My current transportation sufficed for me in my troubleshooter role, but I will likely require a larger vehicle, or several vehicles, in order to bring everyone to Ar Harbor. I can seek to find something in the suburbs and surrounding towns.

Concerns: Leaving Shington could be dangerous, and I am far from guaranteed to find a bus or truck suitable to my needs, as the area has already been heavily scavenged.

-[ ] Trade with existing owners (Timeslot cost: 1; AP cost 2, refunds 1 on success)

Motive: As above, but instead of fixing up ruined vehicles I'll negotiate to get them from their current owners.

Concerns: Snitcher may disapprove of a warlord being civil

-[ ] Seize by force (Timeslot cost: 2; AP cost 4, refunds 3 on success)

Motive: As above, but instead of asking my contacts for vehicles I'll just take what I want. My role as warlord and my Tally should minimize resistance

Concerns: People like their vehicles, and won't like the one who takes them. I will make enemies.

-[ ] Seek Transportation [Adder + Company] (Timeslot cost: 1; AP cost 2, refunds 1 on success)

Motive: As above, but Adder can use his gift to make something for my purposes, and the Company can duplicate it and make it permanent.

Concerns: Adder and I are not close, he may decline to aid me, owing to his rivalry with my sponsor, Subtracter.


[ ] Seek Target Information

-[ ] Company (Timeslot cost: 1; AP cost 2, refunds 1 on success)

Motive: The Company logs every Ultra they create. Their Ar Harbor records would be useful information

Concerns: Ultras migrate and conceal their gifts, this information would be incomplete

-[ ] Subtracter (Timeslot cost: 1; AP cost 3, refunds 1 on success)

Motive: Subtracter is the military leader of the Regime, she will have information on this target

Concerns: Subtracter is stupid and violent, I don't like to be around her

-[ ] Survivors (Timeslot cost:1; AP cost 2, refunds 1 on success)

Motive: There have been 2 other attempts at Ar Harbor. I can seek out and question survivors in the outer city.

Concerns: I may be unable to find any survivors, and I may be misled by liars.


[ ] Seek Posse Members

-[ ] wander & gossip, (Timeslot cost: 1; AP cost 1, refunds 1 on success)

Motive: There are dozens of powerful Ultras in the Lair. I know only the barest fraction of them. I can learn the basics on 1-6 of them in a few hours of socializing and gossiping, opening up in depth investigation options on them and adding them to my list of acquaintances.

Concerns: None

-[ ] At Ultra Fights, (Timeslot cost: 1; AP cost 1, refunds 1 on success)

Constraint: Only available in the afternoon or night on days divisible by 4 (day 4, 8, etc)

Motive: There are dozens of powerful Ultras in the Lair. I know only the barest fraction of them. I can learn the basics on 3-12 of them in a few hours of socializing and gossiping at this kind of event.

Concerns: Ultras associated with the Fights are more likely than most to be melee combatants.


[ ] Seek Warband Members

-[ ] At the Yard, (Timeslot cost: 1; AP cost 2, refunds 1 on success)

Motive: The Lair is surrounded by hundreds of Regime Ultras. The strongest come to the Yard to show their power and appeal to those like me, who would give them purpose. I should be able to gather between 5 and 20 Ultras of such caliber.

Concerns: I will need to provide housing and direction to these Ultras, or risk them wandering off. I can expect to spend at least an action a day on them, and training them might well eat up more. Ideally a Posse member will be tasked with this.

-[ ] [Gang name] From a Gang, (Timeslot cost: 2; AP cost 5, refunds 3 on success)

Motive: The Ultras that surround Shington are organized into Gangs dozens strong. If I can recruit such a force I might have my whole Warband right there.

Concerns: These Ultras likely already have patrons in the Lair, who I would need to negotiate with. Their leader would also likely want a place in my Posse, and she would be the primary locus of their loyalty until I'd had time to win them over.


[ ] Investigate Acquaintance:

-[ ] [Name], (Timeslot cost: 1; AP cost 2, refunds 1 on success, 2 if we become allies)

Motive: I can spend some serious one on one time with an Ultra I've chosen, evaluating the capability of their gift, the alignment of their values with mine, and their basic competence. If all checks out, I might move them into my Ultra Allies column.

Concerns: None


[ ] Invite Ally into Posse:

-[ ] [Name], (Timeslot cost: 1; AP cost 3, refunds 3 on success)

Motive: If I want to bring an ally into my posse, get them to take actions on my behalf and rise or fall with me, this is the way to do it. I will only take this action on those I've already made allies, and once this has been taken it is difficult to undo.

Concerns: Posse members are most of the way into my circle of trust, and will operate on my behalf, representing me to stranger. A mistake here would be dangerous and damaging. I should be careful before taking this step, potentially investigating a prospect several times.


[ ] Seek Information on Snitcher's patterns

-[ ] Passive listening (Timeslot cost: 1; AP cost 1, refunds 1 on success)

Motive: Snitcher can ride my senses at any moment, and bring Her along. If I am ever to contact my KEM allies, my resistance allies, or show any kindness or weakness whatsoever, I need to understand when this is likely to take place. Gossip can hint at this, particularly if I carefully steer conversations. This action would be mostly undetectable, even if he was riding me when I took it.

Concerns: None

-[ ] Active interrogation of Snitches (Timeslot cost: 1; AP cost 3, refunds 2 on success)

Motive: As above, but rather than listen for random gossip I will seek out other linked individuals and directly ask them how often he rides their senses, and what actions he has reacted to in the past.

Concerns: More likely Snitcher notices this, unknown consequences of that.

-[ ] Confront Snitcher Directly (Timeslot cost:1; AP cost 4, refunds 3 on success)

Motive: As above, but take the simplest possible route. Go to Snitcher and ask him for the deal.

Concerns: I am sponsored by Subtracter, not Snitcher, he may not wish to aid me. He may demand favors or other services in exchange for the information.


[ ] Seek Information on Regime military operations

-[ ] Ask Subtracter (Timeslot cost: 1; AP cost 3, refunds 1 on success)

Motive: My life depends on doing this right. I need to get a basic understanding of what She is expecting from my attack on Ar Harbor. Do I need to seize the Company Facility? Kill all the enemies? Are there any constraints on how I go about it? Subtracter is the leader of the Regime's military, and my sponsor, she will know these answers.

Concerns: Subtracter is stupid and brutal, and she killed my neighbors, I hate spending time with her.

-[ ] Ask Around (Timeslot cost: 1; AP cost 2, refunds 1 on success)

Motive: As above, but ask survivors of previous missions instead of my evil boss.

Concerns: My predecessors may not have told them everything, their views of their missions may omit certain command level details that I need to worry about.


[ ] Relax and Recuperate

-[ ] By visiting Blisser (Timeslot cost: X (slots spent until AP reaches max), AP cost 0, returns 3 per time period. DANGER, this action may cause addiction)

-[ ]By lounging around, (Timeslot cost: 1, AP cost 0, refunds 1 on success)

Motive: I could do with some rest.

Concerns: None

-[ ]By patronizing entertainment areas (Timeslot cost: 1, AP cost 1, refunds 3 on success)

Motive: I could do with some rest, and I might learn some things by socializing

Concerns: None

-[ ]By using my gift to repair the city (Timeslot cost: 1, AP cost 2, refunds 5 on success)

Motive: It needs to be done.

Concerns: This is not becoming behavior of a warlord, Snitcher may take notice, and people may talk

-[ ]By using my gift to heal people (Timeslot cost: 1, AP cost 1, refunds 5 on success)

Motive: This is why I have my gift.

Concerns: This is not becoming behavior of a warlord, Snitcher may take notice, and people may talk


[ ] Organize Armory [Timeslot cost: 1, AP cost 2, returns 2 on success)

Motive: I carry, in my backpack and on my person, various items to blend with if the need arises. I am overdue to look through my setup and take an inventory, once that is done I could seek out new objects if I am missing anything useful.


Concerns: None


[ ] Action: Direct the Warband (Timeslot cost 0, AP cost 1, returns 1 if successful)

Motive: If I need to set my warband in motion, give them a project or whatever, it is as simple as telling them to jump. My will is their command.

-[ ] Let [Posse Member] Supervise, takes up the Posse Member's action, modifies success chance based on which Posse member it is, and which action


[ ] Action: Train the Warband (Timeslot cost 0, AP cost 1, returns 1 if successful) [Requires a timeslot from the teacher, who should probably be an Ultra combatant]

Motive: Yard Ultras are fierce, but undisciplined. They are warriors, not soldiers. I can get better outcomes if I teach them some basics.

-[ ] In Ultra Combat (Gives bonuses on their battle rolls)

-[ ] In anti firearm maneuvers (Makes them suffer less casualties under fire)

-[ ] In obedience (makes them more likely to obey my orders)


[ ] Action: Other (Timeslot cost: x, returns x if successful)


KEM Actions:

[ ] Assign Assassination mission [Timeslot cost 1, AP cost 3, returns 1 on success, can only be done in the morning, uncertain Snitcher risk]


Description: KEM are the only humans who fight back on a consistent, day to day basis. We've come up together, they and I, and pointing them at my foes is only common sense. If I give them a target, then I trust them to make a good faith effort to put that Ultra down. Their odds of success, of course, vary wildly depending on how much info I can provide, and the gifts of the Ultra in question.


Resistance Actions:

[ ] Assign Information Gathering Mission [Timeslot cost 1, AP cost 2, returns 1 on success, can only be done in the morning, uncertain Snitcher risk]

Description: The humans are the ocean in which the Ultras swim, the saying goes. The Resistance's capacity to gather information about Ultras is unsurpassed. If I give them a target, then they will give me every bit of public information on the target, and often times a little bit more. Ultras are people, after all. I believe this with all my heart. And people trust other people, even those that they ultimately shouldn't. I can assign as many targets as I wish, but the more I assign the less details I will probably get, and the longer it might take.


[ ] Debrief Information Gathering Mission [Timeslot cost 1, AP cost 0, returns 1 on success, can only be done in the morning, uncertain Snitcher risk]

Description: The information that the Resistance gathers is worthless if I never regain it. Using protocols I've worked out ahead of time, and my recent discovery of Snitcher's habits, it should be possible for me to take the Resistance's reports with minimal risk. I expect I should give them a day or two for local targets, and possibly as much as four for targets in Ar Harbor or further afield.

Smasher Actions:

[ ] Recuperate [Timeslot cost All]

Description: Smasher hangs on the edge of death. Her body and gift will try to knit her back together each day.


Owner Actions:

[ ] Acquire Funds [Timeslot cost 1]

Description: Owner takes action to get more and more valuable assets within our world, increasing her overall funding, hopefully permitting her gift's actions to be swifter and larger in impact. (Requires Write In clarification on how to do this)

[ ] Change Company [ Timeslot cost 1]

Description: Owner presently runs a package store, located in downtown Washington. She has, as near as I can estimate, a low six figures saved up. With this action I can direct her to acquire licenses, expand locations, purchase other businesses, or perform similar deeds, all based around changing the operation and activities of her imaginary franchise. (Requires Write In clarification on how to do this)

[ ] Company Action [ Timeslot cost 2]

Description: This is a catchall action for anything I might think of that could let Owner impact the main battle in Ar Harbor. Buying up local real estate and demolishing it on a certain date seems like the obvious course of action, but there are a lot of other fringe ideas that I've been entertaining. [Requires Write In clarification on how to do this. The first Action spent on this is about Owner doing tests to make sure this effort will work, the second actually kicks off whatever changes I want in the imaginary world.]

Builder Actions:

[ ] Repair Structure [Timeslot cost 1]

Description: Builder can repair most any structure any structure in just a few hours, spreading broken portions back into place and generating new matter as needed.


[ ] Construct Known Structure [ Timeslot cost 1]


Description: Builder can construct any easily described structure with the same ease that she repairs them. Her present education limits this to extremely primitive structures, but that might well be changeable.


[ ] Construct Known Items [Timeslot cost 1]


Description: Builder's gits aren't limited to buildings. If she can get a perfect understanding of an objects, and samples for every component, then she can form any items that I might desire. The easiest way to accomplish this, of course, would be to provide her with a sample.


[ ] Memorize Patterns [ Timeslot cost 1]


Description: Builder's gifts are heavily limited by her imperfect education. The more patterns I can get her to learn, the more she can construct from any given material. If I provide her with patterns or specimens I'm pretty sure she can memorize them and add them to her arsenal.
 
Turn 24
Results from Previous round votes:

1 Vote plan CCC

*************************************************************************************

Winning Plan:

Plan:

[Morning] Train the Warband, in Ultra Combat

[Afternoon] Inform Prevailer about the proposed change in the date of the attack, on the grounds that "they already know we're gonna hit them, so I kinda wanna mess with them before they're ready for us".

[Owner] Get hold of, if possible, a smoke machine and a high-power laser. She can claim that they're for 'a rave', but really they're mostly in case Merlin's gift didn't end with her death. (Smoke machine can outline invisible troops, and a laser can blind the otherwise untouchable spotters – though it's possible that Smasher can smash them anyhow).

(On the side, she can have the rave in the imaginary world, as well; hire a DJ, start selling tickets, and raise some funds – perhaps in aid of an anti-kidnapping charity)

[Builder] Create a few trucks, and experiment with making them in different ways. Also have a few words with her on the subject of large, vehicle-mounted guns… and then just see what comes out of it.

[Smasher] [Afternoon] Train the warband, in Ultra Combat. They're looking after her, let's give her the chance to look after them.Day 24 Log :

7 AP at start of day (6 at end of last day +1 for half night's sleep)

-2 Train the Warband (5 AP)

Roll 10, +1 for Crit Success success (6 AP)

-3 Inform Prevailer (entertainment) (3 AP)

Roll 8, +2 for success (5 AP)

Builder Experiment with truck guns

Roll 7, success(ish)

Owner: Buy rave stuff

Roll 10, Crit Success

Smasher: Train the Warband

Roll 8, success

End of day, 5 AP

*************************************************************************************

Train the Warband:

The real breakthrough came when I had them do the teaching.

It was probably the thing with Smasher that gave me the idea. How they'd ended up helping her out, at least in the short term, rather than the other way around. It got my mind into a different place, got me thinking of them as people, rather than an amorphous mob.

It might also have been about dispelling elitism, a bit. I mean, I basically was one of them, only I'd made it to the top of the ladder. That had left me with a bit of a chip on my shoulder, I now saw, thinking that because I'd been more successful than them it meant that I was better.

That was rubbish thinking, Regime thinking. Even if I was better, it didn't mean that I would be better at everything. It didn't mean that there was nothing I could learn from them. I'd been walking past a gold mine, proud of how clean my hands were.

Looking at it with a cold, clear eye, being maximally dispassionate about it and all, who really gained from a lesson? The teacher or the students? Sure, teaching something let you really learn it, there was a lot to be said for that. You knew you genuinely understood something when you could teach it to someone else, but put that aside for a sec.

At the start, the teacher knew a thing, the student didn't. At the end, they both knew the thing. Obviously the students were the ones benefiting. So why was I so proud about this relationship? I was helping Regime warriors get more deadly, puffing myself up about how strong my warband was. I ought to have been using them to make ME more powerful all along.

The only complication was that I couldn't make it obvious that they were the ones providing value. Regime posturing and all that. I solved that by making it a contest.

I took the squad leaders Smasher had chosen, Jumper and the others, got them up in front of the crew and had them each give their best lesson, earning the right to be 'first squad' for the one who gave the tips I considered to have helped the rest out the most.

They might not have been, one on one, better combatants than I was, but everyone had figured out a little trick or two that I hadn't necessarily set down. Stuff about how important sight lines were, the times to use Ultra strength to swing or throw an object versus when you needed to get in there and hit directly, how a deathtouch opponent could be handled, the rough categories that projectile gifts fell into and how to tell them apart.

It was considerably more productive, I judged, than my own lecture would have been, and to top matters off I learned some things myself. An excellent morning indeed.

*************************************************************************************

Inform Prevailer:

"She'll see you now," said Answerer, sliding out of the way so that I could get to the door.

I didn't pay Her mascot much mind, letting her creep on past without moving forward.

We were in the old Treasury building, down on some sublevel. I'd tried to keep the inner Lair geography straight in my head, but it was hard to think about anything else when you got this close to Her.

I gritted my teeth and walked up, pushed the door open.

The room beyond was a meeting room of some kind, nondescript and functional, black office chairs around a faded brown table. There were probably a thousand like it within a few blocks. The strangest thing about it, honestly, was that it wasn't even a little crumbling. It wouldn't have been out of place, aside from some dust and mold, back when the building was still in use.

She was standing at the head of the table, looking over at me.

I forced myself to keep walking, not to break stride. Everyone knew that She hated when people wasted Her time, that She hated suck ups almost as much as those who didn't suck up enough.

She hated lots of things.

"Blender, right?" She asked.

"Yes," I said.

I was right in front of Her now. Right in front of the woman who'd ended the world. I could reach out, if so inclined, just brush my fingers against Her and She'd be done. Take away 'living', or 'smart', or some other crucial metadata.

Instead I dropped into the Posture, going down on my knees and crossing my wrists behind my head. A lot of people had tried stuff just like that, and She was still here. I wasn't about to end Her story.

"You are going to take out those Ar Harbor punks, right?" She said.

I gave a wordless nod.

I was struggling to keep my mind away from how every second could be my last. This was, undeniably, a more dangerous moment than anything King Arthur could throw at me. The lunatic across from me had the blood of billions on Her hands.

"So?" she asked.

"So I wanted to tell you that I'm moving up the time table-"

I'd meant to end the sentence there, but I saw one of Her hands tense slightly where it rested against Her pants legs.

"-if that's ok with You," I finished. "I'd like to go on the 28th, instead of the 31st."

She dropped down to one knee, eyefucked me.

"When's that?" She asked. "What do you mean?"

Shit, why would She not know dates…uh, ok, maybe She just meant She didn't bother with them.

"Get with Snitcher," I suggested, "3 days from now. I mean not today, not tomorrow, or the day after. The 28th is the one after the day after tomorrow."

"The day after the day after tomorrow," she echoed, slowly. "Morning or evening?"

"Whichever You want!" I said, eagerly, while simultaneously hoping that She would pick the evening. I was planning to drive out early on the 28th, if She wanted a morning fight we'd need to leave the day before, do a night drive or spend the night out in the wilderness.

"Night works," She said, standing back up.

I carefully died not breathe out a sigh of relief, remaining stationary for a few moments longer as She turned away.

I was nearly to the door when She spoke again.

"Keep the place looking nice," She directed. "I'm going to walk around for a bit after you finish up. See all the shops and such."

I gave a wordless nod.

I desperately wanted to ask Her if damage and repair would be ok, but all of my instincts were warning me that quibbling would only be bad for me. I needed to be a glove, an instrument. I would be spared if I was transparent, absent, nothing to think about or remark on.

She looked away again and I took the opportunity to leave.

*************************************************************************************

Debrief Posse:

"You didn't want Smasher at the debrief?" asked Owner.

It was a fair question. Only days ago I would have given quite a bit to get her to show up.

"No, this is just for the three of us." I told them. "She told you how things worked out, right?"

"She said stuff was going great," said Builder. "They were all learning and working together, but she was ready to attend if you wanted her to."

I smiled, gave a small nod.

"I didn't want to take the risk," I told them.

"Risk?" asked Owner.

"People don't change," I told her, a bit bluntly. "Hardly ever. They backslide, they relapse. Call it what you want. We all go back to what's old and familiar. Tonight is a very dangerous time for Smasher."

Builder got it immediately, face lighting up.

"You think if she's with the warband she's less likely to get tore up!" she guessed. "Cuz they were the ones who got her to fly straight in the first place."

I gave a small nod.

Of course, what I'd just said applied to me as well. An outside observer might have said that I was doing the same thing, putting the briefing back on its most familiar ground as I faced great risk. I wouldn't have denied it.

"How'd things go for you?" I asked Owner.

She grinned lazily.

"Nothing to it. Buying stuff like that is probably pretty easy over there, I guess imaginary me just took a bunch of these cards down to the smoke store shop and carried it on back."

More likely it had been an online order with expedited shipping, but I'd long ago stopped fighting with Owner's interpretation of the world gone by. I suspected that more than half of her mistakes were just ways to get under my skin, anyway.

"You got the smoke machine?" I asked.

"Yep," she said, "And a bunch of these laser things too. We might have got cheated though, I tried a few out and they didn't even cut through a wall."

That drew a chuckle from me.

"These aren't Ultra lasers," I told her. "Not gifts or anything, they have to follow the real rules. A laser that could cut through a wall wasn't something you could actually make, not without a whole lot more power than the battery packs we ordered."

She looked disgruntled.

"Laaaame!", said Builder.

I looked over at her, rolling my eyes a bit.

"Where'd you put the trucks?" I asked her.

"Down the street a ways," she said, vaguely.

That was probably good thinking. If we left trucks lying around outside the Lair they'd have been stolen or scavenged immediately, but nobody in here was likely to bother.

It wasn't that I trusted the people in here, mind, it was that they were already where they wanted to be, close to the seat of power. Transportation wasn't a priority for anyone except chumps who took the Warlord job.

"You get the guns on em?" I asked.

She pulled a face, grimacing a bit.

"I guess?" she said. "I just made bigger regular guns, like, each part bigger. I hope they won't explode or whatever when we shoot them. I'm not sure if that's exactly what you meant."

It hadn't been, of course, but in retrospect she didn't really know anything about tank turrets or vehicle mounted machine guns or anything. 'Giant Rifles' was probably as good as this could have gone.

Honestly I didn't know a huge deal about guns either. Maybe a rifle that was twice as big actually shot twice as hard? It probably couldn't be that simple, but if nothing else they'd make the trucks look fiercer, more obviously Warlord gear.

Image was everything, after all. A few post apoc looking war trucks in the background of the fight scene couldn't hurt.

"Alright," I said. "Get some sleep, tomorrow is-"

"What'd you do?" asked Owner, poking a finger at me.

"Huh?"

"This afternoon. What did you do? I know you never waste time, and you've taken a good bit off lately."

Despite myself I felt a bit of warmth in my chest, to know that she was checking up on me.

"I'll tell you tomorrow," I told them.


*************************************************************************************

The Plan:

– We should attack on the 28th. We shouldn't tell anyone about this until about the 25th. This will throw a spanner in the works of any trap they're planning that requires that they have an idea of when we're coming.

– If we head over on the 30th, we can expect to 'coincidentally' meet a Union patrol partway there who will inflict some damage on us. We should prepare for this possibility, even at our earlier date.

– We attack on the 28th. The only person who finds out about this early is Prevailer, who gets to discover this on the 25th. On the 26th, those members of our Posse that we can trust not to blab find out.

-On the 28th, Smasher and the warband find out. Preferably while being herded into the trucks.

"This will minimize the opportunity for betrayal, and we might very well catch them with their pants down, planning some kind of preemptive strike on the 29th."

– Merlin's invisible troops are, of course, invisible. They are also carrying Knight equipment. Picker's assassins carried Knight equipment. Hmmm. But what the Knights are asking for in exchange for the use of their equipment is morally completely reprehensible. I can't countenance that, and would lose my Resistance contact if I did. (I would deserve to lose my Resistance contact if I did that. I would be truly a monster.)

– I need to bear in mind that Merlin and Arthur might have empowered the same people. That is to say, some of Merlin's invisible assassins might have Ultra Strength, or Speed, or Toughness. They're already hitting above their weight – on top of that, they may actually have some weight to hit on top of.

– Another option for dealing with Merlin is to take advantage of KEM. I know where she lives, what she can do and who she cares for; leaving that report on Merlin in the right place should be enough to get her killed outright. However, I shouldn't use KEM on more than one person. Merlin is a greater threat than Guinevere.

– Third option – use Owner to demolish Merlin's house in the middle of the night (buying and demolishing the property).

– Fourth option – take advantage of Builder's stuff-stretching ability to ensure that our confrontation happens in an ankle-deep flood. Even invisible people can be seen walking through ankle-deep water – if nothing else, by the foot-shaped hollows in the water.

– We hope the KEM managed to take out Merlin, and we further hope that doing so reversed her Power's effects. However, if not, we have a multipronged strategy against those invisible troops. Firstly, Merlin herself is killed quickly – sniper bullet, if necessary (no showboating here). Second, a smoke machine may make invisible people visible, and a laser can blind their spotters, effectively making them ineffective on the field.

"Re: Sniping, Merlin will probably be hidden in a basement somewhere, if she's alive when we strike. I could try sending in a sniper ahead of time, hope to catch her just out and about living her life, but in a pitched battle she isn't going to be standing around where we can shoot her. I also, um, don't have a sniper? The Ultras will have rifles, and they've trained in anti firearm techniques (ducking behind stuff), but I haven't really sought out and trained marksman to the point that I'd call any of my warband 'snipers', per se."

"Re: Smoke machine, potential here, but I'd need to do a lot of testing to fine tune this. Like, a thick smoke will blind and choke everyone. I need sort of a mist deal. Hopefully what Owner bought is what I need. Might be worth spending some time messing around with."

"Re: Lasers. I don't think trying to hit people in the eyes with lasers in a big fight is going to work. The lasers might turn out to 'hit' the invisible people though, so they might be some use, but everyone carrying a laser is someone who isn't fighting…I dunno, I don't really like this idea."

– Guinevere is easily handled. I need merely imbue my Posse with fireproof; after that, Smasher can take her out easily. (Ankle-deep water should mess with her, too, by extinguishing a lot of fires).

– Lancelot and Arthur are unlikely to be trouble in the final confrontation.

– That giant Union tank, on the other hand, is a problem (and not a small one). But Builder should be able to deal with it; her power works at any range. She can close off any gun barrels by extending the barrel material _inwards_, she can mess up the engine by making the internals just grow crazy spikes everywhere, and so on. Once she can see it, she can ruin it utterly – and probably without even leaving any external sign of her sabotage, so it can all be blamed on the Union being idiots.

– Builder is our go-to person for ranged anti-Union-tech operations. No machine can long survive her vengeful gaze, once she's decided to smash it. And if the Union gets wise to the point of limiting our visibility (say, with smoke), the Smasher can just smash the smoke…

"I like this idea a lot. Builder can rapidly ruin any tank she can see, although she can't add stuff to the internals. Nothing is going to keep running well once an enemy starts creatively adding stuff to it."

– If the Ar Harbour team don't want to come out and fight, we can draw them out by taking hostages. from the people they care for. This strategy is unpleasant and distasteful, but it will work, and will draw them away from buildings. Moreover, I don't actually need to permanently harm the hostages, not if I'm threatening enough.

-Talking of Smasher, if she can smash *fire*, then Guinevere doesn't stand a hope.

"I asked her about this, she can smash both fire and smoke, but apparently each fairly small part is separate, so she'd smash a 5 footish area of it each time, rather than the whole cloud/fire."


*************************************************************************************


Day 26:

Days remaining: 3!

AP available: (5 at end of day + 1 for 6 hours sleep) = 6/10

Non AP Action: Swap in a new plan. You write in a new plan, I'll give you Mia's assessment of it. If you don't do this then the existing one will be executed. The plan that is in force when its execution date arrives will be used for the actual battle, though there may be mid battle votes that could alter it in process.

Prestige: 3

Timeslots available: 2, morning and afternoon

Builder Timeslot Available: afternoon

Owner Timeslot Available: afternoon

Smasher : Timeslot Available: morning or afternoon, but not both

Posse: 3 or 3 out of 3 slots filled

Force size: 45

Condition: Healthy

(Ultra format: Role, Ultra Strength/Speed/Toughness, other gift description)

Posse:

Builder — 0/0/0, a woman who can alter objects for miles around into other things, blessed with a 'Bulletproof' blend

Owner – housemate, 0/0/1 operates an imaginary firm, with real effects on the world,

Smasher — 3/0/1, a woman who is billed as the strongest Ultra fighter of all time

Ultra Allies:

Maker- Friend, and protégé of Snitcher, 0/0/1, can summon the spirit of things

Clawer – Ultra fighter 2/0/1, melee combatant, deadly hooks for hands

Stopper – partner of Clawer, 0/0/0, steals form's velocity by looking at them

Sticker – Did dentistry for her brother, 0/0/2, Creates slime, can choose its stickiness

Grower – 0/*0/1, an outside Ultra I sponsored into the Lair, has a bullet blend from me, can rapidly increase the size and mass of objects

Joker — 0/2/0, a woman who can change what other people/herself look like

Replayer — 1/2/0, she can 'step back in time' to undo damage that she takes

Ultra Enemies:

Masher- Enemy, and fellow protégé of Subtracter, 3*/0/3*, trades off strength and durability as she moves or stays still

Picker – First Fist protégé, 0/1/0, 'selects the outcome of things'

Ultra Acquaintances:

Tracker – Running buddy, 1/0/1, Creates tracks, and can move things on them

Shower – Adder's protégé, 1*/0/1*, gains strength and durability from witnesses

Echoer – Singer I am a fan of, 1/1/1, can duplicate any action that she sees

Bubbler – Operates Ultra clinic 0/0/?, traps things in bubbles that heal and move them

Sucker — Ultra entertainer, ?/?/?, pulls objects/people towards her at incredible rate

Gunner — 0/0/1, she shoots tracking Ultra Blasts at roughly Ultra Strength One

Chiller — 1/0/1, can freeze any object she touches, leaving them brittle and easily broken

Cutter — 1/1/1, she is a brutal front line combatant

Swimmer — 1/0/1, she can 'swim' through solid surfaces

Burner — 0/0/1, she can summon Ultra fire from anywhere that she can see

Maxxer — 0/0/0, she can augment the gifts of other Ultras, pushing their gifts

Puncher — 1/0/1, her strength and speed both go up when she repeats her movements


Actions:

[ ] Accept Refiner's Bargain (Timeslot cost: 0, AP cost 4, auto succeed)

Motive: His blessed weapons and armor would be a massive force multiplier for our group. He might also send along Knight backup. He would be a powerful additional patron.

Concerns: I would be responsible for a massacre in the immediate aftermath, or be killed by Second Fist if I backed out. Subtracter would also likely perceive this alliance as an attempt at weaseling out from under her command, so I'd have to tread very carefully to avoid offending her.


[ ] Seek Transportation

-[ ] Scavenge (Timeslot cost: 2; AP cost 4, refunds 3 on success)

Motive: My current transportation sufficed for me in my troubleshooter role, but I will likely require a larger vehicle, or several vehicles, in order to bring everyone to Ar Harbor. I can seek to find something in the suburbs and surrounding towns.

Concerns: Leaving Shington could be dangerous, and I am far from guaranteed to find a bus or truck suitable to my needs, as the area has already been heavily scavenged.

-[ ] Trade with existing owners (Timeslot cost: 1; AP cost 2, refunds 1 on success)

Motive: As above, but instead of fixing up ruined vehicles I'll negotiate to get them from their current owners.

Concerns: Snitcher may disapprove of a warlord being civil

-[ ] Seize by force (Timeslot cost: 2; AP cost 4, refunds 3 on success)

Motive: As above, but instead of asking my contacts for vehicles I'll just take what I want. My role as warlord and my Tally should minimize resistance

Concerns: People like their vehicles, and won't like the one who takes them. I will make enemies.

-[ ] Seek Transportation [Adder + Company] (Timeslot cost: 1; AP cost 2, refunds 1 on success)

Motive: As above, but Adder can use his gift to make something for my purposes, and the Company can duplicate it and make it permanent.

Concerns: Adder and I are not close, he may decline to aid me, owing to his rivalry with my sponsor, Subtracter.


[ ] Seek Target Information

-[ ] Company (Timeslot cost: 1; AP cost 2, refunds 1 on success)

Motive: The Company logs every Ultra they create. Their Ar Harbor records would be useful information

Concerns: Ultras migrate and conceal their gifts, this information would be incomplete

-[ ] Subtracter (Timeslot cost: 1; AP cost 3, refunds 1 on success)

Motive: Subtracter is the military leader of the Regime, she will have information on this target

Concerns: Subtracter is stupid and violent, I don't like to be around her

-[ ] Survivors (Timeslot cost:1; AP cost 2, refunds 1 on success)

Motive: There have been 2 other attempts at Ar Harbor. I can seek out and question survivors in the outer city.

Concerns: I may be unable to find any survivors, and I may be misled by liars.


[ ] Seek Posse Members

-[ ] wander & gossip, (Timeslot cost: 1; AP cost 1, refunds 1 on success)

Motive: There are dozens of powerful Ultras in the Lair. I know only the barest fraction of them. I can learn the basics on 1-6 of them in a few hours of socializing and gossiping, opening up in depth investigation options on them and adding them to my list of acquaintances.

Concerns: None

-[ ] At Ultra Fights, (Timeslot cost: 1; AP cost 1, refunds 1 on success)

Constraint: Only available in the afternoon or night on days divisible by 4 (day 4, 8, etc)

Motive: There are dozens of powerful Ultras in the Lair. I know only the barest fraction of them. I can learn the basics on 3-12 of them in a few hours of socializing and gossiping at this kind of event.

Concerns: Ultras associated with the Fights are more likely than most to be melee combatants.


[ ] Seek Warband Members

-[ ] At the Yard, (Timeslot cost: 1; AP cost 2, refunds 1 on success)

Motive: The Lair is surrounded by hundreds of Regime Ultras. The strongest come to the Yard to show their power and appeal to those like me, who would give them purpose. I should be able to gather between 5 and 20 Ultras of such caliber.

Concerns: I will need to provide housing and direction to these Ultras, or risk them wandering off. I can expect to spend at least an action a day on them, and training them might well eat up more. Ideally a Posse member will be tasked with this.

-[ ] [Gang name] From a Gang, (Timeslot cost: 2; AP cost 5, refunds 3 on success)

Motive: The Ultras that surround Shington are organized into Gangs dozens strong. If I can recruit such a force I might have my whole Warband right there.

Concerns: These Ultras likely already have patrons in the Lair, who I would need to negotiate with. Their leader would also likely want a place in my Posse, and she would be the primary locus of their loyalty until I'd had time to win them over.


[ ] Investigate Acquaintance:

-[ ] [Name], (Timeslot cost: 1; AP cost 2, refunds 1 on success, 2 if we become allies)

Motive: I can spend some serious one on one time with an Ultra I've chosen, evaluating the capability of their gift, the alignment of their values with mine, and their basic competence. If all checks out, I might move them into my Ultra Allies column.

Concerns: None


[ ] Invite Ally into Posse:

-[ ] [Name], (Timeslot cost: 1; AP cost 3, refunds 3 on success)

Motive: If I want to bring an ally into my posse, get them to take actions on my behalf and rise or fall with me, this is the way to do it. I will only take this action on those I've already made allies, and once this has been taken it is difficult to undo.

Concerns: Posse members are most of the way into my circle of trust, and will operate on my behalf, representing me to stranger. A mistake here would be dangerous and damaging. I should be careful before taking this step, potentially investigating a prospect several times.


[ ] Seek Information on Snitcher's patterns

-[ ] Passive listening (Timeslot cost: 1; AP cost 1, refunds 1 on success)

Motive: Snitcher can ride my senses at any moment, and bring Her along. If I am ever to contact my KEM allies, my resistance allies, or show any kindness or weakness whatsoever, I need to understand when this is likely to take place. Gossip can hint at this, particularly if I carefully steer conversations. This action would be mostly undetectable, even if he was riding me when I took it.

Concerns: None

-[ ] Active interrogation of Snitches (Timeslot cost: 1; AP cost 3, refunds 2 on success)

Motive: As above, but rather than listen for random gossip I will seek out other linked individuals and directly ask them how often he rides their senses, and what actions he has reacted to in the past.

Concerns: More likely Snitcher notices this, unknown consequences of that.

-[ ] Confront Snitcher Directly (Timeslot cost:1; AP cost 4, refunds 3 on success)

Motive: As above, but take the simplest possible route. Go to Snitcher and ask him for the deal.

Concerns: I am sponsored by Subtracter, not Snitcher, he may not wish to aid me. He may demand favors or other services in exchange for the information.


[ ] Seek Information on Regime military operations

-[ ] Ask Subtracter (Timeslot cost: 1; AP cost 3, refunds 1 on success)

Motive: My life depends on doing this right. I need to get a basic understanding of what She is expecting from my attack on Ar Harbor. Do I need to seize the Company Facility? Kill all the enemies? Are there any constraints on how I go about it? Subtracter is the leader of the Regime's military, and my sponsor, she will know these answers.

Concerns: Subtracter is stupid and brutal, and she killed my neighbors, I hate spending time with her.

-[ ] Ask Around (Timeslot cost: 1; AP cost 2, refunds 1 on success)

Motive: As above, but ask survivors of previous missions instead of my evil boss.

Concerns: My predecessors may not have told them everything, their views of their missions may omit certain command level details that I need to worry about.


[ ] Relax and Recuperate

-[ ] By visiting Blisser (Timeslot cost: X (slots spent until AP reaches max), AP cost 0, returns 3 per time period. DANGER, this action may cause addiction)

-[ ]By lounging around, (Timeslot cost: 1, AP cost 0, refunds 1 on success)

Motive: I could do with some rest.

Concerns: None

-[ ]By patronizing entertainment areas (Timeslot cost: 1, AP cost 1, refunds 3 on success)

Motive: I could do with some rest, and I might learn some things by socializing

Concerns: None

-[ ]By using my gift to repair the city (Timeslot cost: 1, AP cost 2, refunds 5 on success)

Motive: It needs to be done.

Concerns: This is not becoming behavior of a warlord, Snitcher may take notice, and people may talk

-[ ]By using my gift to heal people (Timeslot cost: 1, AP cost 1, refunds 5 on success)

Motive: This is why I have my gift.

Concerns: This is not becoming behavior of a warlord, Snitcher may take notice, and people may talk


[ ] Organize Armory [Timeslot cost: 1, AP cost 2, returns 2 on success)

Motive: I carry, in my backpack and on my person, various items to blend with if the need arises. I am overdue to look through my setup and take an inventory, once that is done I could seek out new objects if I am missing anything useful.


Concerns: None


[ ] Action: Direct the Warband (Timeslot cost 0, AP cost 1, returns 1 if successful)

Motive: If I need to set my warband in motion, give them a project or whatever, it is as simple as telling them to jump. My will is their command.

-[ ] Let [Posse Member] Supervise, takes up the Posse Member's action, modifies success chance based on which Posse member it is, and which action


[ ] Action: Train the Warband (Timeslot cost 0, AP cost 1, returns 1 if successful) [Requires a timeslot from the teacher, who should probably be an Ultra combatant]

Motive: Yard Ultras are fierce, but undisciplined. They are warriors, not soldiers. I can get better outcomes if I teach them some basics.

-[ ] In Ultra Combat (Gives bonuses on their battle rolls)

-[ ] In anti firearm maneuvers (Makes them suffer less casualties under fire)

-[ ] In obedience (makes them more likely to obey my orders)


[ ] Action: Other (Timeslot cost: x, returns x if successful)


KEM Actions:

[ ] Assign Assassination mission [Timeslot cost 1, AP cost 3, returns 1 on success, can only be done in the morning, uncertain Snitcher risk]


Description: KEM are the only humans who fight back on a consistent, day to day basis. We've come up together, they and I, and pointing them at my foes is only common sense. If I give them a target, then I trust them to make a good faith effort to put that Ultra down. Their odds of success, of course, vary wildly depending on how much info I can provide, and the gifts of the Ultra in question.


Resistance Actions:

[ ] Assign Information Gathering Mission [Timeslot cost 1, AP cost 2, returns 1 on success, can only be done in the morning, uncertain Snitcher risk]

Description: The humans are the ocean in which the Ultras swim, the saying goes. The Resistance's capacity to gather information about Ultras is unsurpassed. If I give them a target, then they will give me every bit of public information on the target, and often times a little bit more. Ultras are people, after all. I believe this with all my heart. And people trust other people, even those that they ultimately shouldn't. I can assign as many targets as I wish, but the more I assign the less details I will probably get, and the longer it might take.


[ ] Debrief Information Gathering Mission [Timeslot cost 1, AP cost 0, returns 1 on success, can only be done in the morning, uncertain Snitcher risk]

Description: The information that the Resistance gathers is worthless if I never regain it. Using protocols I've worked out ahead of time, and my recent discovery of Snitcher's habits, it should be possible for me to take the Resistance's reports with minimal risk. I expect I should give them a day or two for local targets, and possibly as much as four for targets in Ar Harbor or further afield.

Smasher Actions:

[ ] Recuperate [Timeslot cost All]

Description: Smasher hangs on the edge of death. Her body and gift will try to knit her back together each day.


Owner Actions:

[ ] Acquire Funds [Timeslot cost 1]

Description: Owner takes action to get more and more valuable assets within our world, increasing her overall funding, hopefully permitting her gift's actions to be swifter and larger in impact. (Requires Write In clarification on how to do this)

[ ] Change Company [ Timeslot cost 1]

Description: Owner presently runs a package store, located in downtown Washington. She has, as near as I can estimate, a low six figures saved up. With this action I can direct her to acquire licenses, expand locations, purchase other businesses, or perform similar deeds, all based around changing the operation and activities of her imaginary franchise. (Requires Write In clarification on how to do this)

[ ] Company Action [ Timeslot cost 2]

Description: This is a catchall action for anything I might think of that could let Owner impact the main battle in Ar Harbor. Buying up local real estate and demolishing it on a certain date seems like the obvious course of action, but there are a lot of other fringe ideas that I've been entertaining. [Requires Write In clarification on how to do this. The first Action spent on this is about Owner doing tests to make sure this effort will work, the second actually kicks off whatever changes I want in the imaginary world.]

Builder Actions:

[ ] Repair Structure [Timeslot cost 1]

Description: Builder can repair most any structure any structure in just a few hours, spreading broken portions back into place and generating new matter as needed.


[ ] Construct Known Structure [ Timeslot cost 1]


Description: Builder can construct any easily described structure with the same ease that she repairs them. Her present education limits this to extremely primitive structures, but that might well be changeable.


[ ] Construct Known Items [Timeslot cost 1]


Description: Builder's gits aren't limited to buildings. If she can get a perfect understanding of an objects, and samples for every component, then she can form any items that I might desire. The easiest way to accomplish this, of course, would be to provide her with a sample.


[ ] Memorize Patterns [ Timeslot cost 1]


Description: Builder's gifts are heavily limited by her imperfect education. The more patterns I can get her to learn, the more she can construct from any given material. If I provide her with patterns or specimens I'm pretty sure she can memorize them and add them to her arsenal.
 
Turn 25
Results from Previous round votes:
1 Vote plan CCC (More than one voter is a luxury! The best quests are…uh…really small and unpopular? I'm not very good at this…)
*************************************************************************************
Winning Plan:
Plan:

[Morning] Mess around with the smoke machine settings. Try to find something that makes a light mist – easy enough to fight in, nothing that'll block anyone's view – especially nothing that'll block my view, and by extension Prevailer's view through my eyes – but enough to outline invisible, tangible people.

(If I run out of smoke canisters, Builder should have no trouble refilling them from the drops left at the end).

[Afternoon] Ask around, finding survivors of previous Ar Harbour expeditions. I want to know where they met their Union ambush on the way; so that I'm ready if the Union is lazy enough to repeat their ambush at the same approximate location.

Posse:

[Owner]: Get hold of some fire extinguishers. We might not need them but, you know, better safe than sorry. And we will have at least one pyromaniac Ultra to deal with, so…

[Builder]: Memorise pattern: Fire extinguisher. It's basically a cylinder of pressurised gas; we might well appreciate having some *big* fire extinguishers handy on the day.

[Smasher, afternoon]: Train the warband in anti firearm maneuvers, while using the smoke machine. This keeps her sober, reinforces the bond she is forming with the warband, and ensures that they are used to working in smoke.
Day 26 Log :
6 AP at start of day (5 at end of last day +1 for half night's sleep)
-2 Experiment with smoke machine (4 AP)
Roll 10, +1 for success, +1 for Crit (6 AP)
-2 Seek Target Information (survivors) (4 AP)
Roll 10, +1 for success, +1 for Crit (6 AP)
Builder Memorize pattern, Fire Extinguisher
Roll 6, success
Owner: Get Fire Extinguishers
Roll 6, success
Smasher: Train the Warband
Roll 5, success
End of day, 6 AP
*************************************************************************************
Work with Smoke Machine:
There were a few settings on the smoke machine, helpfully labeled 'smoke', 'mist' and 'haze'. I messed around with all of them.
The smoke setting was the first thing I tried. It was thick, heavy stuff, caused some minor coughing in the less durable Ultras and reduced the visible range. It billowed out pretty fast, at least, and people moving around in its produced visible eddies and whirls in it.

Obviously I didn't have any invisible people to test on, so I was making due by testing with the Parkers and trying to pretend that I couldn't see their actual forms. I couldn't be sure that I wasn't fooling myself, but I was on guard for the possibility at least.

The 'mist' setting produced smoke that clung low to the ground, down around feet/ankle level. It was much less thick and then the first level I tested, pooling mostly around corners and obstacles.
It didn't hinder vision at all, and I could still see the effects of people walking around in it well enough. On the other hand it was much less obvious, much easier to miss people's 'wakes', in it, and it came out quite slowly. If I used this I'd need to figure out a way to deploy it well before my troops moved in.

The last setting, 'haze', was also interesting. It was much more subtle than the other two, just kind of adding a bit of a twinge to the air. It didn't cling to the ground, and we could see through it just fine. It deployed rapidly and spread wildly.

The problem was that I couldn't really see any wakes in it. I tried to tell myself that they were there, but the truth was that if I couldn't see a person the haze wasn't really distinct enough to make out where they were, particularly if they weren't moving all that fast.

I also messed around with the lasers in conjunction with the mist, remembering concert experiences from a world long gone by.

The haze was definitely the winner there. That was, in fact, its principle purpose. The lasers were visible in their entirety within the haze, flickering lines cast from their generators to their targets. The mist worked well with the lasers too, except of course for the fact that it was a much lower bank to begin with. The smoke didn't really play well with them at all, blocking and diffusing them like it did the rest of the visible spectrum.
I think there are two viable alternatives.

The first is to do a smoke assault, accept the limited sightlines in exchange for seeing invisible antagonists and just rush them under the gas's cover. This will outline their invisible troops, hinder their ranged attackers and can easily be achieved by just giving people smoke grenades to hurl as we go. I thought it was likely that She would tolerate my limited vision as long as I was up front and in the thick of things, but this might well annoy her.

The second is the haze/laser assault, where we'd go in with the light mist and a grid of lasers effects. This wouldn't hinder their ranged attackers, unless we blinded them with the lasers, but it would outline their invisible warriors and we wouldn't have any coordination problems. It would confine our battle to the zone around the trucks, however, as the lasers/haze machines weren't portable.

*************************************************************************************
Seek Target Information (Ambush Location):

"You were with Burier?" I asked.

Massacrer nodded.

"Yeah, that whole fucking trip. I stayed the whole time. Not like that Defamer bitch, I know she talks some shit about how she was with the Warlord, but take it from me, its just talk."

"I know," I told her. "That's why I'm talking to you."

I didn't bother to tell her that I'd already spoken to Defamer, and that I was checking both their stories against one another.

So far as I could tell, the actual situation had been that Burier was with both of them, but neither knew about the other. They'd both gone on the attack, and both bailed out at some point. Defamer first, when she found out about her rival, and Massacrer second, after the ambush.

"We got ambushed," she said, warming to an old gripe.

I nodded sympathetically, sliding another one of Owner's beers across the table.

"We'd just bedded down, shit, day like any other, you know? No one was watching out or anything. We had our minds on getting some sack time, get an early start the next day. Burier was starting to worry that we might not make it by when She said we should be there."

"Where had you actually got to?" I asked, casually, not letting on that this was the whole point of our interview.

"We were, shit, we'd just crossed over a river, we were by the coast…"

I drummed my fingers, impatiently.

I'd brought her into the Lair for the interrogation, figuring it would help her understand that disappointing me was a bad idea. We'd met up my usual Company Facility, taken a booth.

"We'd just stopped following 295, started going along the coast. We'd had to go back a day, make sure that we didn't miss it."

So they'd been lost. That made a lot of sense. The old maps were probably pretty inaccurate nowadays.

"Maybe Swick?" she guessed.

I shook my head.

"That's Union territory. You wouldn't have entered there without a fight."

"Oh, right," she said. "Now I remember, we had to go around Swick, we were up past it, a way inland."

"Can you remember any markings?" I asked. "Any signs or anything like that? Did any of the locals that you hit up for supplies say anything about it?"

"On the last day?" she asked.

I nodded, impatiently.

"I remember a lot about the battle," she said. "We were-"

I waved a hand, cut her off.

"They came out of nowhere, you never saw it coming, you wouldn't have fled except you knew we needed to be warned…that about it?"

She subsided a bit.

I pushed subtlety to the side for a second.

"I've heard about the ambush. I know how it happened. I know you ran. I don't care about that, not at all. The only thing I want to hear from you is where it happened. Exactly where."

She was quiet for a very long moment.

I reached out towards her, a friendly gesture, like I was going to put a reassuring hand on her shoulders.

She shrank away from my hand, gazing at it like her life hung from it.

Which, of course, it did.

"Gusta!" she finally blurted out.

"What?" I asked, thinking of the famous city down south.

"We'd just crossed the river at Gusta, we were going almost straight towards dawn, we'd stopped for the night in, like, a big building. I think it was an old store or something."

I pulled my hand back.

Close to Ar Harbor, near Gusta, almost due west, a ruined building. That should be enough for my purposes. I wasn't planning on camping anywhere near Ar Harbor, but if I had to, for whatever reason, I'd make sure that I wasn't in the last place the Union had struck.

*************************************************************************************
Debrief Posse:

"You guys get the fire extinguishers?" I asked.

Owner and Builder nodded, wordlessly.

"And you can make more?" I asked again.

They nodded again.

It was nice that sometimes things weren't huge, dramatic productions. Their gifts should let them do this, and, hey look, they did.

"How'd things go for Smasher?" I asked. "With the training?"

Owner chuckled.

"She tried to teach them how to smash bullets," Builder explained. "And it kind of came about that, you know, being Ultra tough she hadn't really got any idea how to avoid getting shot."

"She just, I guess, gets shot?" I asked. "Like, doesn't really try to dodge?"

It kind of made sense. Smasher didn't really value her own life. I couldn't see her really putting any thought into it.

"Worse yet," said Builder. "No one has ever tried shooting at her. Apparently her gift got well known pretty quick, and from then on all her fighting was with Ultras."

I rolled my eyes.

"It wasn't a total loss, though," Builder continued. "Some of the other Ultras had good advice on the topic, they shared it around the Warband. I don't really know much about how to stay out of rifle sights myself, but it seemed like Smasher was confident that they'd gotten better at it."

Hierarchy continued to be the worst, news at eleven. It was a good thing I'd encouraged my followers to share their experiences with each other, apparently that was still paying off.

"They should be ready, I think," said Owner, "For the attack at the end of the week."

I looked down for a moment.

There'd been no going back ever since I confirmed it with Her, of course, but it was still somehow sobering to say it out loud.

"About that," I cautioned.

They both looked over, concern and surprise on their faces.

"We go the 28th," I said. "We'll set out in the morning, before the dawn, and hit them just as the sun is going down."

"What the-" said Owner, before Builder interrupted her.

"That's the day after tomorrow!"
*************************************************************************************
The Plan:
– We attack on the 28th. The only person who finds out about this early is Prevailer, who gets to discover this on the 25th. On the 26th, those members of our Posse that we can trust not to blab find out.
-On the 28th, Smasher and the warband find out. Preferably while being herded into the trucks.
– Merlin's invisible troops are, of course, invisible. They are also carrying Knight equipment. Picker's assassins carried Knight equipment. Hmmm. But what the Knights are asking for in exchange for the use of their equipment is morally completely reprehensible. I can't countenance that, and would lose my Resistance contact if I did. (I would deserve to lose my Resistance contact if I did that. I would be truly a monster.)
– I need to bear in mind that Merlin and Arthur might have empowered the same people. That is to say, some of Merlin's invisible assassins might have Ultra Strength, or Speed, or Toughness. They're already hitting above their weight – on top of that, they may actually have some weight to hit on top of.
– Another option for dealing with Merlin is to take advantage of KEM. I know where she lives, what she can do and who she cares for; leaving that report on Merlin in the right place should be enough to get her killed outright. However, I shouldn't use KEM on more than one person. Merlin is a greater threat than Guinevere.
– Third option – use Owner to demolish Merlin's house in the middle of the night (buying and demolishing the property).
– Fourth option – take advantage of Builder's stuff-stretching ability to ensure that our confrontation happens in an ankle-deep flood. Even invisible people can be seen walking through ankle-deep water – if nothing else, by the foot-shaped hollows in the water.
– We hope the KEM managed to take out Merlin, and we further hope that doing so reversed her Power's effects. However, if not, we have a multipronged strategy against those invisible troops. Firstly, Merlin herself is killed quickly – sniper bullet, if necessary (no showboating here). Second, a smoke machine may make invisible people visible, and a laser can blind their spotters, effectively making them ineffective on the field.
– Guinevere is easily handled. I need merely imbue my Posse with fireproof; after that, Smasher can take her out easily. (Ankle-deep water should mess with her, too, by extinguishing a lot of fires).
– Lancelot and Arthur are unlikely to be trouble in the final confrontation.
– That giant Union tank, on the other hand, is a problem (and not a small one). But Builder should be able to deal with it; her power works at any range. She can close off any gun barrels by extending the barrel material _inwards_, she can mess up the engine by making the internals just grow crazy spikes everywhere, and so on. Once she can see it, she can ruin it utterly – and probably without even leaving any external sign of her sabotage, so it can all be blamed on the Union being idiots.
– Builder is our go-to person for ranged anti-Union-tech operations. No machine can long survive her vengeful gaze, once she's decided to smash it. And if the Union gets wise to the point of limiting our visibility (say, with smoke), the Smasher can just smash the smoke…
– If the Ar Harbour team don't want to come out and fight, we can draw them out by taking hostages. from the people they care for. This strategy is unpleasant and distasteful, but it will work, and will draw them away from buildings. Moreover, I don't actually need to permanently harm the hostages, not if I'm threatening enough.
-Talking of Smasher, if she can smash *fire*, then Guinevere doesn't stand a hope.
*************************************************************************************

Day 27:
Days remaining: 2!!
AP available: (6 at end of day + 1 for 6 hours sleep) = 7/10
Non AP Action: Swap in a new plan. You write in a new plan, I'll give you Mia's assessment of it. If you don't do this then the existing one will be executed. The plan that is in force when its execution date arrives will be used for the actual battle, though there may be mid battle votes that could alter it in process.
Non AP Action: Make clear whether Smoke Grenade Attack or Haze/Laser Trucks is your plan. If you don't specify either we'll proceed with Haze/Laser Trucks
Prestige: 3
Timeslots available: 2, morning and afternoon
Builder Timeslot Available: 2, morning and afternoon
Owner Timeslot Available: 2, morning and afternoon
Smasher : Timeslot Available: morning or afternoon, but not both
Posse: 3 or 3 out of 3 slots filled
Force size: 45
Condition: Healthy
(Ultra format: Role, Ultra Strength/Speed/Toughness, other gift description)
Posse:
Builder — 0/0/0, a woman who can alter objects for miles around into other things, blessed with a 'Bulletproof' blend
Owner – housemate, 0/0/1 operates an imaginary firm, with real effects on the world,
Smasher — 3/0/1, a woman who is billed as the strongest Ultra fighter of all time
Ultra Allies:
Maker- Friend, and protégé of Snitcher, 0/0/1, can summon the spirit of things
Clawer – Ultra fighter 2/0/1, melee combatant, deadly hooks for hands
Stopper – partner of Clawer, 0/0/0, steals form's velocity by looking at them
Sticker – Did dentistry for her brother, 0/0/2, Creates slime, can choose its stickiness
Grower – 0/*0/1, an outside Ultra I sponsored into the Lair, has a bullet blend from me, can rapidly increase the size and mass of objects
Joker — 0/2/0, a woman who can change what other people/herself look like
Replayer — 1/2/0, she can 'step back in time' to undo damage that she takes
Ultra Enemies:
Masher- Enemy, and fellow protégé of Subtracter, 3*/0/3*, trades off strength and durability as she moves or stays still
Picker – First Fist protégé, 0/1/0, 'selects the outcome of things'
Ultra Acquaintances:
Tracker – Running buddy, 1/0/1, Creates tracks, and can move things on them
Shower – Adder's protégé, 1*/0/1*, gains strength and durability from witnesses
Echoer – Singer I am a fan of, 1/1/1, can duplicate any action that she sees
Bubbler – Operates Ultra clinic 0/0/?, traps things in bubbles that heal and move them
Sucker — Ultra entertainer, ?/?/?, pulls objects/people towards her at incredible rate
Gunner — 0/0/1, she shoots tracking Ultra Blasts at roughly Ultra Strength One
Chiller — 1/0/1, can freeze any object she touches, leaving them brittle and easily broken
Cutter — 1/1/1, she is a brutal front line combatant
Swimmer — 1/0/1, she can 'swim' through solid surfaces
Burner — 0/0/1, she can summon Ultra fire from anywhere that she can see
Maxxer — 0/0/0, she can augment the gifts of other Ultras, pushing their gifts
Puncher — 1/0/1, her strength and speed both go up when she repeats her movements

Actions:
[ ] Seek Transportation
-[ ] Scavenge (Timeslot cost: 2; AP cost 4, refunds 3 on success)
Motive: My current transportation sufficed for me in my troubleshooter role, but I will likely require a larger vehicle, or several vehicles, in order to bring everyone to Ar Harbor. I can seek to find something in the suburbs and surrounding towns.
Concerns: Leaving Shington could be dangerous, and I am far from guaranteed to find a bus or truck suitable to my needs, as the area has already been heavily scavenged.
-[ ] Trade with existing owners (Timeslot cost: 1; AP cost 2, refunds 1 on success)
Motive: As above, but instead of fixing up ruined vehicles I'll negotiate to get them from their current owners.
Concerns: Snitcher may disapprove of a warlord being civil
-[ ] Seize by force (Timeslot cost: 2; AP cost 4, refunds 3 on success)
Motive: As above, but instead of asking my contacts for vehicles I'll just take what I want. My role as warlord and my Tally should minimize resistance
Concerns: People like their vehicles, and won't like the one who takes them. I will make enemies.
-[ ] Seek Transportation [Adder + Company] (Timeslot cost: 1; AP cost 2, refunds 1 on success)
Motive: As above, but Adder can use his gift to make something for my purposes, and the Company can duplicate it and make it permanent.
Concerns: Adder and I are not close, he may decline to aid me, owing to his rivalry with my sponsor, Subtracter.

[ ] Seek Target Information
-[ ] Company (Timeslot cost: 1; AP cost 2, refunds 1 on success)
Motive: The Company logs every Ultra they create. Their Ar Harbor records would be useful information
Concerns: Ultras migrate and conceal their gifts, this information would be incomplete
-[ ] Subtracter (Timeslot cost: 1; AP cost 3, refunds 1 on success)
Motive: Subtracter is the military leader of the Regime, she will have information on this target
Concerns: Subtracter is stupid and violent, I don't like to be around her
-[ ] Survivors (Timeslot cost:1; AP cost 2, refunds 1 on success)
Motive: There have been 2 other attempts at Ar Harbor. I can seek out and question survivors in the outer city.
Concerns: I may be unable to find any survivors, and I may be misled by liars.

[ ] Seek Posse Members
-[ ] wander & gossip, (Timeslot cost: 1; AP cost 1, refunds 1 on success)
Motive: There are dozens of powerful Ultras in the Lair. I know only the barest fraction of them. I can learn the basics on 1-6 of them in a few hours of socializing and gossiping, opening up in depth investigation options on them and adding them to my list of acquaintances.
Concerns: None
-[ ] At Ultra Fights, (Timeslot cost: 1; AP cost 1, refunds 1 on success)
Constraint: Only available in the afternoon or night on days divisible by 4 (day 4, 8, etc)
Motive: There are dozens of powerful Ultras in the Lair. I know only the barest fraction of them. I can learn the basics on 3-12 of them in a few hours of socializing and gossiping at this kind of event.
Concerns: Ultras associated with the Fights are more likely than most to be melee combatants.

[ ] Seek Warband Members
-[ ] At the Yard, (Timeslot cost: 1; AP cost 2, refunds 1 on success)
Motive: The Lair is surrounded by hundreds of Regime Ultras. The strongest come to the Yard to show their power and appeal to those like me, who would give them purpose. I should be able to gather between 5 and 20 Ultras of such caliber.
Concerns: I will need to provide housing and direction to these Ultras, or risk them wandering off. I can expect to spend at least an action a day on them, and training them might well eat up more. Ideally a Posse member will be tasked with this.
-[ ] [Gang name] From a Gang, (Timeslot cost: 2; AP cost 5, refunds 3 on success)
Motive: The Ultras that surround Shington are organized into Gangs dozens strong. If I can recruit such a force I might have my whole Warband right there.
Concerns: These Ultras likely already have patrons in the Lair, who I would need to negotiate with. Their leader would also likely want a place in my Posse, and she would be the primary locus of their loyalty until I'd had time to win them over.

[ ] Investigate Acquaintance:
-[ ] [Name], (Timeslot cost: 1; AP cost 2, refunds 1 on success, 2 if we become allies)
Motive: I can spend some serious one on one time with an Ultra I've chosen, evaluating the capability of their gift, the alignment of their values with mine, and their basic competence. If all checks out, I might move them into my Ultra Allies column.
Concerns: None

[ ] Invite Ally into Posse:
-[ ] [Name], (Timeslot cost: 1; AP cost 3, refunds 3 on success)
Motive: If I want to bring an ally into my posse, get them to take actions on my behalf and rise or fall with me, this is the way to do it. I will only take this action on those I've already made allies, and once this has been taken it is difficult to undo.
Concerns: Posse members are most of the way into my circle of trust, and will operate on my behalf, representing me to stranger. A mistake here would be dangerous and damaging. I should be careful before taking this step, potentially investigating a prospect several times.

[ ] Seek Information on Snitcher's patterns
-[ ] Passive listening (Timeslot cost: 1; AP cost 1, refunds 1 on success)
Motive: Snitcher can ride my senses at any moment, and bring Her along. If I am ever to contact my KEM allies, my resistance allies, or show any kindness or weakness whatsoever, I need to understand when this is likely to take place. Gossip can hint at this, particularly if I carefully steer conversations. This action would be mostly undetectable, even if he was riding me when I took it.
Concerns: None
-[ ] Active interrogation of Snitches (Timeslot cost: 1; AP cost 3, refunds 2 on success)
Motive: As above, but rather than listen for random gossip I will seek out other linked individuals and directly ask them how often he rides their senses, and what actions he has reacted to in the past.
Concerns: More likely Snitcher notices this, unknown consequences of that.
-[ ] Confront Snitcher Directly (Timeslot cost:1; AP cost 4, refunds 3 on success)
Motive: As above, but take the simplest possible route. Go to Snitcher and ask him for the deal.
Concerns: I am sponsored by Subtracter, not Snitcher, he may not wish to aid me. He may demand favors or other services in exchange for the information.

[ ] Seek Information on Regime military operations
-[ ] Ask Subtracter (Timeslot cost: 1; AP cost 3, refunds 1 on success)
Motive: My life depends on doing this right. I need to get a basic understanding of what She is expecting from my attack on Ar Harbor. Do I need to seize the Company Facility? Kill all the enemies? Are there any constraints on how I go about it? Subtracter is the leader of the Regime's military, and my sponsor, she will know these answers.
Concerns: Subtracter is stupid and brutal, and she killed my neighbors, I hate spending time with her.
-[ ] Ask Around (Timeslot cost: 1; AP cost 2, refunds 1 on success)
Motive: As above, but ask survivors of previous missions instead of my evil boss.
Concerns: My predecessors may not have told them everything, their views of their missions may omit certain command level details that I need to worry about.

[ ] Relax and Recuperate
-[ ] By visiting Blisser (Timeslot cost: X (slots spent until AP reaches max), AP cost 0, returns 3 per time period. DANGER, this action may cause addiction)
-[ ]By lounging around, (Timeslot cost: 1, AP cost 0, refunds 1 on success)
Motive: I could do with some rest.
Concerns: None
-[ ]By patronizing entertainment areas (Timeslot cost: 1, AP cost 1, refunds 3 on success)
Motive: I could do with some rest, and I might learn some things by socializing
Concerns: None
-[ ]By using my gift to repair the city (Timeslot cost: 1, AP cost 2, refunds 5 on success)
Motive: It needs to be done.
Concerns: This is not becoming behavior of a warlord, Snitcher may take notice, and people may talk
-[ ]By using my gift to heal people (Timeslot cost: 1, AP cost 1, refunds 5 on success)
Motive: This is why I have my gift.
Concerns: This is not becoming behavior of a warlord, Snitcher may take notice, and people may talk

[ ] Organize Armory [Timeslot cost: 1, AP cost 2, returns 2 on success)
Motive: I carry, in my backpack and on my person, various items to blend with if the need arises. I am overdue to look through my setup and take an inventory, once that is done I could seek out new objects if I am missing anything useful.

Concerns: None

[ ] Action: Direct the Warband (Timeslot cost 0, AP cost 1, returns 1 if successful)
Motive: If I need to set my warband in motion, give them a project or whatever, it is as simple as telling them to jump. My will is their command.
-[ ] Let [Posse Member] Supervise, takes up the Posse Member's action, modifies success chance based on which Posse member it is, and which action

[ ] Action: Train the Warband (Timeslot cost 0, AP cost 1, returns 1 if successful) [Requires a timeslot from the teacher, who should probably be an Ultra combatant]
Motive: Yard Ultras are fierce, but undisciplined. They are warriors, not soldiers. I can get better outcomes if I teach them some basics.
-[ ] In Ultra Combat (Gives bonuses on their battle rolls)
-[ ] In anti firearm maneuvers (Makes them suffer less casualties under fire)
-[ ] In obedience (makes them more likely to obey my orders)

[ ] Action: Other (Timeslot cost: x, returns x if successful)

KEM Actions:
[ ] Assign Assassination mission [Timeslot cost 1, AP cost 3, returns 1 on success, can only be done in the morning, uncertain Snitcher risk]

Description: KEM are the only humans who fight back on a consistent, day to day basis. We've come up together, they and I, and pointing them at my foes is only common sense. If I give them a target, then I trust them to make a good faith effort to put that Ultra down. Their odds of success, of course, vary wildly depending on how much info I can provide, and the gifts of the Ultra in question.

Resistance Actions:
[ ] Assign Information Gathering Mission [Timeslot cost 1, AP cost 2, returns 1 on success, can only be done in the morning, uncertain Snitcher risk]
Description: The humans are the ocean in which the Ultras swim, the saying goes. The Resistance's capacity to gather information about Ultras is unsurpassed. If I give them a target, then they will give me every bit of public information on the target, and often times a little bit more. Ultras are people, after all. I believe this with all my heart. And people trust other people, even those that they ultimately shouldn't. I can assign as many targets as I wish, but the more I assign the less details I will probably get, and the longer it might take.

[ ] Debrief Information Gathering Mission [Timeslot cost 1, AP cost 0, returns 1 on success, can only be done in the morning, uncertain Snitcher risk]
Description: The information that the Resistance gathers is worthless if I never regain it. Using protocols I've worked out ahead of time, and my recent discovery of Snitcher's habits, it should be possible for me to take the Resistance's reports with minimal risk. I expect I should give them a day or two for local targets, and possibly as much as four for targets in Ar Harbor or further afield.
Smasher Actions:
[ ] Recuperate [Timeslot cost All]
Description: Smasher hangs on the edge of death. Her body and gift will try to knit her back together each day.

Owner Actions:
[ ] Acquire Funds [Timeslot cost 1]
Description: Owner takes action to get more and more valuable assets within our world, increasing her overall funding, hopefully permitting her gift's actions to be swifter and larger in impact. (Requires Write In clarification on how to do this)
[ ] Change Company [ Timeslot cost 1]
Description: Owner presently runs a package store, located in downtown Washington. She has, as near as I can estimate, a low six figures saved up. With this action I can direct her to acquire licenses, expand locations, purchase other businesses, or perform similar deeds, all based around changing the operation and activities of her imaginary franchise. (Requires Write In clarification on how to do this)
[ ] Company Action [ Timeslot cost 2]
Description: This is a catchall action for anything I might think of that could let Owner impact the main battle in Ar Harbor. Buying up local real estate and demolishing it on a certain date seems like the obvious course of action, but there are a lot of other fringe ideas that I've been entertaining. [Requires Write In clarification on how to do this. The first Action spent on this is about Owner doing tests to make sure this effort will work, the second actually kicks off whatever changes I want in the imaginary world.]
Builder Actions:
[ ] Repair Structure [Timeslot cost 1]
Description: Builder can repair most any structure any structure in just a few hours, spreading broken portions back into place and generating new matter as needed.

[ ] Construct Known Structure [ Timeslot cost 1]

Description: Builder can construct any easily described structure with the same ease that she repairs them. Her present education limits this to extremely primitive structures, but that might well be changeable.

[ ] Construct Known Items [Timeslot cost 1]

Description: Builder's gits aren't limited to buildings. If she can get a perfect understanding of an objects, and samples for every component, then she can form any items that I might desire. The easiest way to accomplish this, of course, would be to provide her with a sample.

[ ] Memorize Patterns [ Timeslot cost 1]

Description: Builder's gifts are heavily limited by her imperfect education. The more patterns I can get her to learn, the more she can construct from any given material. If I provide her with patterns or specimens I'm pretty sure she can memorize them and add them to her arsenal.
 
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Battle of Ar Harbour 1
It was a simple plan. It should have worked.

The failure came, like all failures, from a disconnect between my expectations and the reality which actually developed.

I was familiar, like virtually everyone else from my time, with the concept of 'circling the wagons'. I'd seen it in ancient movies that I'd streamed when I was small, heard references to it in other media, and generally marinated in the concept. It was a simple one, once learned it would be hard to imagine forgetting it.

Once learned.

My followers, of course, were creatures of the new world. They'd grown up in an entirely different context, with its own patterns and memes to get used to. The one they were applying was something like "Obey your leader or you will be immediately murdered."

So when I turned my truck in the beginning of a U-turn, they didn't follow directly behind me, hen & chick style, they made the same turn that I did, blindly mimicking my movements.

When I got to the next part of my maneuver, where I was to turn back the other way and form up with them, I collided violently with the truck behind me, who was attempting to execute a ninety degree turn.

There was no time even to curse before a violent shudder signaled the truck's collisions, and an inevitable followup shudder the rest of the ridiculous pileup.

I clenched my teeth, eyes bulging with rage for which I could find no outlet. Should I disembark? Get out and yell at people, get the drivers to back up and do the right thing?

Useless. We'd be here ten minutes.

I passed a hand over the steering wheel, right where the press for the horn was. I used my gift, diving into the metadata, questing for 'Loud', or something similar. If I could just steal a communications attribute I might still salvage this idiocy.

"Big, Vehicle, Cargo" came back. My gift was applying to the truck as a whole.

Just perfect. I'd need to open the hood, get at the actual horn itself, tear it out in order to get my gift to scan it right.

"Boss, should we get out?" asked a warband member, nervously.

I looked back over my shoulder, pushed my features into a pleasant smile.

She blanched.

Ok, it might not have been that pleasant.

"Yes," I said. "Let's all get out."

We disembarked pretty rapidly after that, as did the rest of the squads. The third truck had managed to jam one of its doors in the slow speed collision, but they just tore a whole in the side and stalked through.

For a moment chaos ruled, a mob of fifty Ultras milling around, squad members looking to their leaders, leaders looking around in the confusion.

"Get the fucking smoke machines on!" I roared, "And get on those lasers! 4th Squad, you need to be doing what you fucking trained for! Other squads, get ready to fight!"

I might not have had any special blends for my voice, but I could still make myself heard when I wanted to. They leaped to obey, swarming back onboard the mass of trucks and jumping to their positions.
"All right, now…" I yelled, then paused.

Ideally, I'd like for the enemy to come to us at this point, but they hadn't shown any signs of that so far. If I sent the infantry forward into the precious zone then it would get ruined, but if I didn't do anything then She might get antsy. I paused for a moment to consider what to do.

It was a fateful pause, as the enemy chose that moment to launch their attack.

From the ruins around us they poured out, dirty figures in rags and ill matching uniform segments, essentially identical to my own Posse members. They surged into us from where they'd been lying in wait within the basements and crevices of the wrecked buildings.

They'd chosen the wrong crew to try this on, though.

Lesser Ultras might have been thrown into disarray or panic by a sudden onslaught, but these were the girls of the Yard. Unpredictable Ultra fights were their bread and butter, the thread from which their lives were woven. They fought back instantly and without hesitation or mercy.

In the first few seconds of the battles joining I saw a woman slap another one's head off and launch it across the fight street, someone torn literally in half and another one exploded from the crotch upwards. I was pretty sure that my team had been on the good side of at least most of that.

The corpses, at least those that I thought were enemies, had weird streamers of energy coming out of them, drifting towards the intact target buildings. Like souls leaving the body or something, visible tendrils of energy.

That was all the time I had to observe, as the fighting spread to engulf my own position. The Ultra who'd been standing in front of me was born to the ground by a pair of foes, their desperate faces distended with bloodlust and fear, and another leaped for me.

I ducked her grabbing arms, stiff armed her across the face and called upon my gift. I didn't waste time reading her metadata at any great length, just stole 'living', and let her topple to the ground as a corpse, another trailer of weird glowy misty stuff pouring out.

I stepped smoothly aside from the falling body as stolen life poured through me, every sense alight with doubled furor. The battle seemed to slow around me.

I took a step towards my pinned soldier, but the enemy had already rammed some kind of bladed implement through one of her eyes, so I just turned my stoop into a brutal knee across one of the killer's faces, sending her reeling into her partner.

Someone punched me in the back, but it wasn't hard enough to be a focused strike, probably just an ally bumping into me. I didn't lash out, stayed focused on the two before me, kicked again, nailing the inside of one of their thighs.

A gust of smoke washed across our crew, far stronger than the haze machines should have created, I dropped to the ground as I misplaced a foot in the sudden violence, but I turned my fall into a desperate grab at someone's shin.

My gift beckoned, but I couldn't take another concept so soon, and I wasn't about to give 'living', to what might very well be an enemy. I just wrenched at their knee, toppling them down upon me and the dead girl from a moment before.

She came down across me, coughing and gagging, kicking and squirming. I recognized her as one of my own a heartbeat before I'd been about to grab her throat, so I rolled aside instead, passing from smoke into actual goddamn flame.

I screeched in animal fury as the fire engulfed me. No wonder there had been so much goddamn smoke! My enhanced senses relayed the searing heat from every bit of exposed skin, worst of all, for some reason, from my fuckling hands.

I rolled through onto the other side, kicking and bucking in a frenzied bid to put myself out. It hadn't been Ultra strong fire, or not very much so, as I was still alive, but I was blind and mewling around, and She wouldn't tolerate that from her point of view on a battle for very long.

At that chilling thought I shot back to my feet, fire momentarily put aside, just in time for some asshole to closeline me back into the goddamn fire! I roared in pain as the flames washed over me again, ashes filling my mouth.
But I was 'Living' for two right now, and Ultra tough to boot, so I shot up out of the fire again, bouncing back out like a cork from a raging sea, eyes straining to get some point of view, SOMETHING for Her to see. My hands swiped mindlessly before me as I pushed my way free.

A scene of bedlam met my eyes, Ultras brawling and blasting all across the trucks, or at least their wreckage. Dusty figures in tattered rags cursed punched one another amid the smoke and flame, while striving always to avoid the esoteric energies which crackled and blasted across the battlefield whenever anyone found time to focus a gift. Toppling figures streamed those strange patterns, always heading towards the same building.

Flames and smoke rose and died without pattern or reason all across the battlefield, scorching one fighter and leaving the next intact. It was a picture out of an ancient painting, like some bygone monk's depiction of the deepest hell.

She'd love it.

I glared furiously around, swiping at my body to try and put the fires out, even as I sought their source. This was more than a smoke machine, more than just the after effects of some blasting gift, this was one of my enemy's trump cards. It was Guinevere's gift.

It should have been impossible to pick anyone out amid that insane battle, but I was doubly alive right now. It let my senses do things I couldn't reasonably explain, and I found my gaze instantly arrested by a slight figure crouched on the edge of one of the ruined buildings upper floors. She wasn't hurling flames or doing anything obvious, but within a few seconds I saw her head tilt, and then a flaming Ultra crash sideways into another one of my minions, which was enough for me to go on.

I shot forward like a cannonball, shoving and pushing my way through the mess, but almost instantly had to fall back as some asshole tried to take my head off with a giant sword.

My backstep bumped me into someone else, who toppled over, but I was able to jump over their body as the sword came around again, narrowly missing me. The woman singing it was using both hands, screaming something I didn't bother to understand.

As soon as my back foot hit the ground I reversed myself, throwing myself inside her arc before she could come around for a third strike, driving my shoulder into her neck and upper chest and sending her reeling, sword flying from her hand. I staggered a few steps after her and someone shot me.

It was a hell of a blow, just a massive impact to the side of my head out of nowhere, probably a high caliber rifle or something similar. It rocked me on my heels, and I slid/dove forward into a tackle on the woman that I'd just staggered, closing in to deny whoever was firing on me anymore shots.

Her arms draped pointlessly over my back, and she actually did some hammer punches onto me, as though that might do any good. My estimation of the quality of King Arthur's soldiers dipped even lower.

She'd needed a sword, which meant she wasn't Ultra strong, which meant she could punch away on me all day. She ought to be covering my face with a hand, or grabbing for a tool on her belt, or doing anything which might matter, but she squandered the last instants of her life on meaningless rage.

I pushed her a few steps, eyes wide and staring, looking for the densest clump of boots and legs, then launched her off of me and into it.

I threw myself to the ground immediately after, dropping into a sort of crawl or dive, keeping my forward momentum without rising up for any distant sharpshooters to target.

Was I being insanely overcautious? It was hard to imagine that anyone could have picked me out of all that nonsense to shoot for my head, but the impact had been real. Most likely it had been some gift, or a thrown stone from someone off to my side, but I couldn't take the chance.

I pressed ahead, slipping around the tackle of someone I was like nine tenths sure worked for me, and arrived at a solid press of bodies.

These assholes were shoulder to shoulder, and the instant I got close to them a pair tackled down on me, pressing me down into the dirt.

One of them had Ultra strength, and she immediately started wrenching at my head like she was going to tear it off. The other had hold of my arm and was doing something similar, and also seemed to be jamming a knife or something into me.

I grabbed frantically for the blade, choking from the strong one's grip, and grabbed 'Sharp' away from it. Their hands loosened instantly, blood gushing from severed fingers.

I didn't give my blend time to stabilize, immediately forcing 'sharp' onto the strong one, hoping it would be an unstable result. Taking two blends at once was horribly risky, something I'd very rarely done.

I didn't have time to see the result in detail, but she toppled off to one side. Hopefully it had replaced 'breathing' or 'thinking' or something similar.

I got a hand under me and tossed myself forward again, passing through the gap in the line where those two had been and into the shade of a ruin.

The smoke and dust was just about as bad here as it was out in the scrum, but at least I wasn't on fire for the moment. I looked furiously about and spotted a ladder leaning against a wall, its top vanishing into the room above.
I didn't spend another second in there, racing to the ladder instead, hearing someone at my heels and trying desperately to convince myself it wasn't another Ultra Strong foe.

Heck, maybe it was an ally, following me to glory. It wasn't impossible.

I shot up the ladder onto the second floor, kicking away the hands that scrabbled for my feet, then the ladder itself, and turned to face Guinevere.

She was still crouched at the edge of the window, still doing her thing, gazing out over the scrum and directing the flames. She'd heard me come up, however, and she spun around to face me before I could reach her.

Of all the possible things she could do I never imagined she would try and talk.

But, impossibly to believe, she thought we had something to say to each other. She opened her mouth and held out her hand, like a total fucking idiot.

I tackled her off of the edge, sent us hurtling back down into the chaos, before she could get a syllable out.

Sorry for the fucking interruption, you bitch.

I landed on top, jumped back up for what felt like the tenth time today. The instant I was on my feet I was stomping, aiming at her face and mostly connecting, I lost myself in a transport of violence.

I snapped back to alertness a few seconds later when I lifted a boot up and saw the intact spit curl underneath. Right. Ultra tough, I wasn't hurting her at all.

The realization, and the instant's paralysis that accompanied it, cost me dearly, as she twitched a finger and covered me in flame.

Her fire didn't seem to have any 'force' behind it, it didn't damage me through my Ultra toughness, but it did let her get her telekinetic grip on me, and a second later I was hurtling sideways, slamming back through a wall into the building she'd originally been lurking in.

I forced myself back to the edge, the flames dissipating as soon as I was outside her sight. I took a quick second to look the battle over. My team was winning, but it was a lot closer than it ought to be. I needed to get moving.

Actions (choose 1 or write in):
  • Fight through the scrum in the direction the 'streamers' are headed. They are likely pointing to King Arthur, and if she empowers another army the size of the first it will be very bad.
  • Fight through the scrum to get back to Guinevere, her fire is the only thing keeping their inferior troops from getting utterly owned by my Utlras.
  • Fight through the scrum to Smasher, she looks to be losing to Lancelot, and that would be a big hit to morale.
  • Go check on Builder/Owner. They might be in trouble, and Builder's gift could be doing a lot more than it fucking is.
 
Battle of Ar Harbour 2
I shook my head, doubts and idle thoughts banished.

Guinevere. She was what was keeping their bargain Ultras and enhanced mortals fighting with my killers, keeping them in this fight at all. She was what was prolonging this madness. Even if King Arthur managed to make another wave, without her gift they'd be lambs to the slaughter. My Posse could fend for itself, or die if it came to that. My focus had to be on Guinevere.

I suited action to words, storming back into the melee, shoving aside a few of my own troops to get at the enemy.

The first thing to do was get rid of 'living'. The enhanced senses were nice, but I needed my death touch back. Guin had Ultra Tough 2, which meant the only thing I had that might touch her was my blending. I needed to get my hands on her, take something from her that she could not live without.

I had my chance immediately, as an enormous brute with pushed his way through a pair of combatants and smashed his fists down at me.

I took a step back in spite of myself, nearly tripping for the dozenth time today as his punch shot past. There was no reason, in an Ultra fight, to assume that a big guy's punch was any stronger than the smallest waif's, and in fact it was often best to assume the opposite, but I'd dodged anyway.

I powered forward to compensate, stepping into his reach and launching an open handed slap. If people were too stupid to cover their faces in an Ultra fight then I wouldn't turn down the opportunity to use my touch based gift.

He turned his head to take the blow, raising a shoulder slightly, but I still made contact, and I let 'living' go the instant I could.

He staggered back, eyes wide and staring. He didn't collapse or anything, but he was plainly not in a good way. I darted past him before he could get used to the doubled senses, hoping one of my followers would take him down.

Immediately behind him, naturally, were more of the Ar Harbour assholes, a trio of whom decided to tackle me all at once. I couldn't get my legs down in time to jump aside, and they caught me good, knocking me into the back of the big guy and sending us all down to the ground in a squirming heap.

I was extraordinarily sensitive to the peril I was in. Close quarters with three foes, no idea about their gifts. I didn't have Ultra Strength, couldn't just rise up and toss them off.

Instead I squirmed and writhed, hands reaching frantically about, searching for exposed skin. I caught an ungloved hand, stole 'moves' from a form that suddenly stiffened, and used my suddenly greater celerity to contort that hand onto an unguarded face.

It was my foe's turn to go into a frenzy then, as the new 'moves' clashed with whatever they'd previously had, it disrupted things enough that I could heave myself to my knees, then up to my feet, only an arm hooked around my knee impeding me.

My survival was most likely due to the nature of my enemy. These weren't Ultras, not really, just vessels for King Arthur's gift. They had a little strength, but not enough to hurt me. They had no touch based gifts. I hadn't been in quite as much danger as I'd thought.

Wasting time with that thought earned me another trip to Ground City, as the arm around my knee wrapped my other and turned my attempt to leave the tangle into a headlong tumble.
I curled my stomach, bringing my arms back to wrestle with the person who'd grabbed onto me, when my head was rocked to the side by a thunderous kick from someone standing above us.

My ears rang and my vision flashed white for a second as I shot through the air, torn free of the hands that gripped me by the enormous impact.

My flight was interrupted by at least one other person, and I tumbled down once again to the ground atop them, then immediately caught fire.

Guin could see me again, which meant that I should be able to see her, which I could try to do as soon as I was not on fire. I groped around, dragging the person I'd slammed into atop me, trying to use her to block my enemy's line of sight.

That didn't seem to help at all, as I found us both lifted into the air, her screams and thrashing a jarring, distracting cherry on top of the world of pain that was being burned.

I tried to use my gift on the fire itself, got nowhere, it didn't give me any meta tags that I could distinguish, or maybe I was in too much pain to notice. I writhed about, got a hand onto the side where the grip seemed slightly less strong, touched my hand to the bit of asbestos I'd tucked away for such opportunities.

I took 'fireproof' instantly, and could see for the first time in at least ten seconds as the halo of flames around me fell away. By sheerest coincidence I was facing in the direction of Guinevere, and I marked her location among the throng even as I started falling.

She'd lifted me about ten feet up, and only my sudden drop saved me from an incoming Ultra gift of some kind, blue energy that shot by overhead with a crackling power that made me very grateful it hadn't hit me.

I landed on my feet this time, finally, and immediately headed towards Guinevere, who had only seemed to be about twenty feet off. I had pushed through a pair of my allies, and wonder of wonders they didn't attack me.

I caught sight of her up ahead, she'd been tripped up by a brawl between one of theirs and one of mine, and she was using her flames to sort things out. It had slowed her for a moment, and I got to within a few steps of her before being balked once again.

Flames surged around me, despite my gift's defenses. They did not burn, but jerked me back, shoving me away from Guinevere just when my hand was about to fall upon her.

It took me a second, and a strange difference in the way that I was being tugged, to realize what she was doing. She'd set afire my clothing, rather than my unburnable flesh, and she was using it as handles on me, hauling me back by my pants and shirt. The bitch!

My first, immediate instinct was to strip down, but I'd be utterly vulnerable as I tried it, and I had no particular reason to believe that my strength was greater than her gift's anyway, she might well be able to hold things on me until they were completely consumed. Instead, I lashed out with a gift that I'd hitherto disregarded.

"Kill her!" I shrieked, pointing as well as I could with a hand blessedly flee of any confining clothing. "NOW!"

There was a lot of shouting going on, enough that I'd given up on doing squad level stuff, but I'd put a lot of time into basic obedience drills, and those few who were close enough to hear my voice and recognize it obeyed instantly. Blessedly, one of them had a blasting gift.

Guinevere stopped hauling on me for a moment as the beam closed in, setting herself afire instead, presumably trying to drag herself out of the way, but the timing didn't work out. It took her in the upper chest, spent her sprawling down into the ranks of her allies.

I shot towards the spot where she'd fallen, weaving around a furious enemy with a chainsaw, of all things. If I could get her before she…

She was ash and char from the waste to shoulder, eyes wide and staring. The flames which consumed her now were entirely natural.

I made a note to look back over our ranks, see who the fuck we had who could take out someone that Ultra Tough in one shot and make sure never to turn my back on them again.

Naturally, the instant I made this resolution I got shot in the back, but good. A silver-red line ran through me and through the next girl ahead of me, coated instantly in a gusher of blood.

I tried to fall and twist away, but the line clung, searing and penetrating. Only a desperate kick and thrash combination broke the line of effect, letting me away into a frantic roll.

I came to my feet with a shudder and a howl of pain, eyes already tracking my assailant.

It wasn't hard to find her. The overall scrum was ending, in my favor, but there was a knot of enemies still fighting hard, back around where Builder and Owner were supposed to have been. Ar Harbour's actual Ultras and some Union assholes were at the heart of it. It was one of them who had tagged me, judging by the silver wires lashing out from her outstretched hand into the Ultras pressing in on her little group.

I took a step towards her, stopped as a shudder of agony ran up my side. This was not a light or incidental wound. I needed to take stock a second, figure out my next move.

Actions, choose one or write in.
  • Go after the Union Leader who just impaled me. Will probably be one on one, I'm confident I can take her despite my injury, I am VERY good at murder.
  • Go intervene in the Lancelot/Smasher fight, if that's still raging (HOW is that still raging??). Will probably result in a 2 on 2 as the Union leader follows.
  • Go after King Arthur, leaving Smasher to fight 1 v 2 if the Union Leader doesn't pursue me. May be in time to stop whatever she is up to, likely the creation of another fucking army.
 
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Battle of Ar Harbour 3
Before I could take down anyone else, I'd have to deal with this Union bitch. If I tried to make my way over to where Lancelot and Smasher were, she'd shoot me again. If I tried to go after King Arthur, ditto.

We were in this now. I couldn't live unless she died.

I suited action to these bitter thoughts, deliberately throwing myself back down to the ground where I'd spent so much of this fucking fight.

I stifled a scream as my bleeding side protested. Something felt like it had become unseated within me, a curious wrenching sensation that promised agonies to come.

As soon as I got down I started to scuttle, one arm pressed to the bleeding wound, focusing my healing gift with everything I had. I scurried around a pair of my soldiers who were rushing towards the rear, then drifted back into their wake, using them as cover against the Union bastard's perch.

Out of sight, out of danger, I was hoping.

Ahead of me I could see the forest of legs and knees pressing in on the ruined trucks, one form after another vanishing as they climbed up. Everyone seemed to be pushing in the same direction, so they'd been pressed back entirely off the ground, or I was missing something.

I paused as a wave of pain shot through me, unable to keep a keening shriek from escaping my lips. Holy SHIT being impaled hurt! I'd never suffered this badly in my entire life, my world was a scintillating curtain of pain.

I abandoned any further attempts to get closer to her, focused every ounce of energy on keeping my head up off the ground and turning slightly from side to side, keeping the illusion that I was still combat effective intact.

She might tolerate a point of view that took a second to recuperate, but if I passed out, if I box blocked Her before the end of the fight could take place, then I was done for. I had to seem badass, however I could pull that off.
If I thought I'd used all my energy before, it was nothing compared to what it took to stand up. I dragged my leg in, put it underneath me and pushed, forcing myself as much by fiat as by any actual sensation to get back up, desperation pushing me on.

I knew, intellectually, that my healing gift was at work. If I hadn't died in the initial hit, then it had to be getting better now, didn't it? I'd been standing up just a second ago, surely I should be able to stand up now!

My body refuted these cogent arguments with pain and nothing more, which didn't seem super fair, but was actually really convincing. I made it about half way up, back to a stoop, and then I had to reach out and grab someone, one of my gals who was passing by.

She recoiled instinctively, raising a fist, then lowering it as she recognized me.

I didn't react or acknowledge the moment, I couldn't. It took all my effort to drag myself up her arm, look out over the crowds once again.

In the back of the battle, or at least where the back had started out, I saw the Union making their last stand atop the crashed trucks. The bitch who'd shot me struggled with a pair of my Ultras, and so did all of the other enemies that I could see back there. None of them seemed like they would be winning.

I looked over to my right, over to where Smasher should have been finishing off Lancelot and her Knights. She was showboating, as I expected.

That was the reason this had all gone to shit, or at least one of them. Fucking Smasher. Fucking drunk. If she'd just done like her name suggested I wouldn't have gotten fucking shot.

As I watched she thrust out an arm, sending Lancelot dancing away. Or, not dancing, moving with Ultra speed. I dunno, it always seemed like dancing to me, legs hitting the ground far faster than they would for anyone moving naturally.

Both of the two were wounded, and they fought alone, surrounded by a clear space at least ten feet around.

"How the fuck had she managed that?" I said, half under my breath. I couldn't get a goddamn second to myself but she managed to arrange an out of bounds space on her private duel, and everyone was apparently buying it? It wasn't fucking fair.

Lancelot feinted towards her, jumped aside as Smasher's fist whipped through the air before her.

Close. A bit closer and she'd have had her, and the least little contact would be enough. Nothing Smasher hit full on would stay on the planet, much less in one piece.

"Fucking finish her!" I snarled, pressing my hands violently into the Ultra I was clinging to. I was pretty sure I could stand on my own at this point, but pretty sure was nothing to bet on.

Smasher's fruitless pursuit continued, she hurled out a windmill of punches and kicks, every one of them narrowly missing as Lancelot continued to dodge back, orbiting and chasing around the cleared out space.

The last of the Knights had fallen over there. Lancelot was alone in a knot of my people, but none of them moved to help Smasher. She apparently wanted to do this alone.

Fuck that.

"Kill her!" I screamed, or tried to scream. It turned out that some part of my injury had something to do with my lungs, because taking that deep breath had not been the greatest idea. I clung to my supporter and shuddered for a moment, focusing on not passing out.

Meanwhile the stupidity continued.

Smasher tried to get tricky, instead of going for another punch or kick she threw her whole body at Lancelot, trying to maximize the sheer volume of space she could threaten. Lance leaped right over her, kicking down as she passed, a bruising Ultra shot to the ribs.

It was a savvy move. Any attack from a direction Smasher was going would see you obliterated, but her gift didn't protect her from attacks that she wasn't moving into. That must have been how she scored the initial hit.
I looked back the other way. The Union were all down now, my Ultras were tearing bodies apart, breaking the Trucks and in other ways celebrating their victory. A number of them were heading over to where Smasher fought, since it was the last battle that was going on.

"Kill her!" I shouted again, successfully this time. The Ultra I was leaning against, at least, heard it and picked up the cry.

Those who heard me echoed me. They'd taken it as encouragement for Smasher. It started to become a chant.

"No YOU-" I was shouted down, the 'Kill Her chant drowning out what little other talking was being done.

I clawed at my Ultra, then shoved her aside and started staggering towards the fight.

Or, walking, rather. I was well enough to walk, albeit a sort of stilted walk that didn't bend my torso in any way.

Ahead of me Smasher finally did the obvious, stepping back from her pursuit and striking at herself, moving to 'smash' her own wounds away.

My eyes widened and my hands raised as I saw what was about to happen, but no one could hear my warning, and I wasn't nearly close enough to do anything about it.

Lancelot dived in the instant the move began, punched furiously. She moved a little faster than she had previously, she'd been lulling her victim, hiding her true capabilities.

Her punch landed, but not on Smasher's torso or head, she hit the back of Smasher's arm, added her own force to the self directed strike, before it landed.

Smasher slapped her arm right through her own torso, cut herself nearly in half.

I felt like my rage was going to dig a hole in the world, like sheer frustration and anger should rip out and stop this stupidity from happening, but it didn't. Nothing did. Smasher coughed up blood and toppled over, torn nearly in fucking half by her own fucking gift!

Cold comfort that the Ultras around Lancelot promptly mobbed her, tore her apart. Cold comfort that there wasn't a living enemy left to be seen.

Warm comfort, actually, that I could walk and talk again. I resolutely didn't look down at the wound. I couldn't take the chance of Her seeing any more goddamn setbacks or wins for the other side. I wouldn't be doing any more fighting, but I could at least lead.

Fucking killed herself! By PUNCHING!!

I pushed it aside, with immense effort, as I plotted out my next move. Looked like I had 18 Ultras left in my warband, and no one from my Posse that I could see, though I still held out hope that Builder or Owner were alive somehow, hiding.

I had to act.

Actions, choose one or write in:
  • Push army immediately into the restored zone, find Arthur before she has a chance to generate a new force or get away.
  • Consolidate, check over those downed, look to see if Builder or Owner are alive, grab any supplies we didn't time for. This will also give me time to heal, hopefully enough to fight in any future conflicts.
  • Declare victory, start speechifying, act like King Arthur isn't even a thing. Hopefully She will show up, at which point the battles are over and the target zone is secured.
  • Other? (write in?)
 
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